Ties between countries are typically driven by ideological, political, geographical, or military reasons, where each country seeks to advance its interests through collaboration with others. While this is a common foundation for international relations, the relationship between Morocco and the USA stands out. It is not based solely on strategic interests but also on a strong bond of friendship and mutual respect.
Geographically, Morocco is the closest country to the United States in the Middle East and North Africa. In December 1777, under Sultan Mohammed III, Morocco became the first country to recognize the independence of the United States. Interestingly, in December 2020, the American president reaffirmed Morocco’s sovereignty over its southern provinces and expressed support for Morocco’s credible and realistic autonomy proposal as the only viable solution to the dispute.
One of the United States National Historic Landmarks located abroad is in Morocco. It is also the first U.S. government property overseas to be designated as endangered by the National Trust. Additionally, the U.S. delegation is based in the northern city of Tangier, which has long attracted Americans, including the Beat Generation writers and the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature winner, Bob Dylan.
The Kingdom of Morocco, particularly Tangier, has always been a hub for Americans from diverse fields—writers, artists, thinkers, philanthropists, journalists, and businessmen. For example, media mogul Malcolm Forbes celebrated his 70th birthday in his palace in Tangier, inviting numerous influential figures. Many of these guests extended their stays to spend more time in the city, located in the Arab world, where people speak one of three branches of Tamazight. Here, mosques, churches, and synagogues stand side by side, with a view of the Spanish city of Tarifa just across the Strait of Gibraltar in the Mediterranean Sea.
Morocco’s strategic location between Arab, Amazigh, African, and European cultures, along with its history during the Cold War, aligned it with the liberal bloc. This unique positioning has made Morocco one of the few countries where foreign residents and tourists live side by side with locals in cities like Marrakech, Essaouira, Tangier, Casablanca, and Rabat. Hotels, apartments, and riads host both locals and visitors together, without isolated tourist villages like in many other countries. This fosters an open cultural exchange and pride in the nation’s heritage.
Over the last century, many Americans decided to make Morocco their home, not driven by economic incentives but by the country’s geography, cultural diversity, warm hospitality, and the peaceful coexistence between locals and foreigners during both World Wars and the Cold War. Morocco became a model of peaceful coexistence, where foreigners were seamlessly integrated into local life. Notable examples include Greek-American Ion Perdicars, president of the Commission d’Hygiène in Tangier, and Barbara Woolworth Hutton, who lived in Tangier’s Kasbah like a local. Hutton, known in the American press as the “wealthiest unhappy girl,” found happiness in Morocco.
Over the years, I have explored the reasons behind Americans’ attraction to Morocco. It is not due to major economic interests, so I turned to its cultural influence, particularly in cinema. It is no coincidence that the famous American film Casablanca is named after Morocco’s largest city. I also looked into the works of writers like Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, William S. Burroughs, Paul Bowles, Bob Dylan, and many others who spent significant time in Morocco. Even Shakespeare, though not
American, influenced American literature, especially with his mention of Morocco in The Merchant of Venice.
The relationship between Morocco and the United States may not be driven by economic power, but it is strengthened by deep human, cultural, and historical ties. This exceptional relationship deserves to be integrated into educational programs in both countries as a prime example of cooperation between peoples who face each other across the Atlantic Ocean, much like two admirers admiring each other from afar.
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