Transmission 🦁

The Migration Card Is Morocco’s Biggest Strategic Mistake If Morocco is deliberately allowing waves of migrants to reach the Spanish border as a political pressure tactic, it is making a serious strategic mistake. It may produce short-term political leverage, but it sends all the wrong signals to Europe and ultimately damages Morocco’s own interests. There is simply no way that such large numbers reach the border without at least a significant relaxation of Moroccan border enforcement. Here are the consequences of this strategy: 1. It undermines Morocco’s own success story. If thousands of Moroccans and African migrants living in or transiting through Morocco immediately seize the first opportunity to enter Spain, it sends the message that they do not see Morocco as a country where they want to build their future. That contradicts the image Morocco presents to the world as a country of stability, growth, and opportunity. You cannot have it both ways. 2. It tells Europe that Morocco is not a reliable partner. Instead of resolving political disagreements through diplomacy, Morocco appears willing to use migration as leverage. The message becomes: Give us what we want, or we will stop guarding our side of the border. That is not how mature states negotiate. It resembles the strategy repeatedly used by Erdoğan with the European Union. 3. It creates a dangerous precedent. Once you normalize migration as a political weapon, you cannot complain if others use the same tactic against you. Imagine Algeria relaxing its own border controls and allowing thousands of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa to enter Morocco. Morocco would rightly condemn such behavior. The same principle applies here. 4. It encourages more illegal migration and human trafficking. If traffickers and migrants believe Morocco periodically opens the gates during political disputes, more people will travel to Morocco and wait for the next opportunity. That increases pressure on Morocco’s borders, strengthens smuggling networks, and creates an even bigger migration problem in the future. 5. It damages Morocco’s international image at the worst possible time. Morocco will co-host the 2030 FIFA World Cup with Spain and Portugal. This should be an opportunity to attract investment, tourism, and long-term international partnerships. Using illegal migration as political leverage sends exactly the opposite message. Investors want predictability. Tourists want stability. Governments want trustworthy partners. This strategy undermines all three. Morocco should rethink this approach. Migration should never be used as a political bargaining chip. Disagreements with Spain should be addressed through diplomacy, negotiation, and responsible statecraft, not by turning vulnerable migrants into instruments of political pressure. In the long run, this approach is not only ineffective; it is humiliating for Morocco and harmful to its own national interests.