Morocco's 'Horrific' Crackdown: A Problem Only When Convenient?
As Morocco prepares to host the Africa Cup of Nations, The Guardian details 'horrific' beatings and mass arrests of youth protesting underfunded healthcare and education. This crackdown, occurring in late September and October 2025, is framed as a shocking development. It's almost as if the international media only finds authoritarianism problematic when a spotlight is on, or when the state isn't
a key Western ally in 'security' operations, particularly those involving disputed territories like Western Sahara, which the US recognized Morocco's claims over in 2020. Odd, isn't it? One might wonder where this impassioned critique was during, say, Saudi Arabia's far more extensive human rights abuses, or Egypt's consistent suppression of dissent (a nation that received over $1.3 billion in
U.S. military aid in 2023, per OpenSecrets.org). The 'arbitrary detention' and 'police brutality' sound eerily familiar, yet the righteous indignation seems to fluctuate dramatically based on geopolitical expediency and who, exactly, is picking up the phone when Washington calls. How many 'democratic allies' can consistently commit 'horrific' abuses before the label loses all meaning for our
esteemed watchdogs?