Think Forward.

"Moyen-Orient : le basculement stratégique vers les monarchies du Golfe" 1561

Le Moyen-Orient vit une transformation géopolitique majeure, marquée par un repositionnement stratégique entre Israël, les États-Unis et les puissances du Golfe. Ces dernières, longtemps en marge des alliances traditionnelles ou les subissant, s’affirment désormais comme des acteurs incontournables sur la scène politique, économique et militaire, redessinant des équilibres que l’on considérait historiques voire immuables. Depuis sa création en 1948, Israël a été le principal allié occidental au Moyen-Orient, notamment des États-Unis, pourtant opposés à leur création au départ, dans une région marquée par des conflits récurrents. Sa politique d’expansion et d’influence, soutenue par Washington, a longtemps cristallisé les tensions avec plusieurs pays arabes et groupes armés. Toutefois, cette posture belliqueuse semble aujourd’hui contestée, tant par ses voisins que par certains de ses alliés traditionnels. En tous cas elle est amplement désapprouvée voire condamnée par la société civile, partout. Cela ne saurait durer. L’évolution la plus notable dans la région est venue des monarchies du Golfe. Après des décennies d’hostilité, elles ont amorcé un rapprochement historique avec Israël, officialisé par les Accords d’Abraham en 2020, sous l’impulsion américaine. Ces accords, signés notamment par les Émirats arabes unis et Bahreïn, ont ouvert la voie à une coopération renforcée, notamment contre l’influence iranienne, tout en favorisant des échanges économiques et technologiques sans précédent. Les monarchies n’ayant pas signé ces accords, non plus, n’ont aucunement de complexe à traiter avec Israël. Souvent on évoque aussi les relations très fortes entre l’état hébreu et la Turquie notamment depuis que celle-ci est gouvernée par le chantre de l’islamisme que représente Erdogan. Dans ce contexte en pleine mutation, les États-Unis ont progressivement réorienté leur politique régionale, misant davantage sur les monarchies du Golfe, qui offrent stabilité politique, puissance financière et position stratégique. La présence militaire américaine dans la région, notamment à la base d’Al-Udeid au Qatar, illustre cette nouvelle donne. Lors de la tournée américaine au Moyen-Orient en 2025, près de deux billions de dollars d’investissements ont été annoncés, notamment dans les secteurs de la défense, de la technologie et de l’intelligence artificielle. Parallèlement, Washington semble adopter une posture plus nuancée vis-à-vis d’Israël, notamment dans le cadre des négociations avec l’Iran, ce qui traduit une diversification des alliances régionales. Israël, malgré son poids militaire, perd progressivement de son influence exclusive, perçu de plus en plus comme un acteur source de tensions. Les dérives de la politique actuelle du cabinet Netanyahu menant un quasi génocide à Gaza, ne sont pas là pour arranger les choses. Contrairement aux décennies précédentes, les pays arabes, notamment ceux du Golfe, ne répondent plus systématiquement aux provocations israéliennes par la force. Les dirigeants actuels privilégient une approche pragmatique, distinguant désormais la cause palestinienne des actions de groupes armés comme le Hamas. Cette évolution marque un tournant par rapport aux attitudes belliqueuses des régimes militaires du passé. Ces régimes étaient en fait, au fil du temps, devenus des alliés objectifs de la cause sioniste. Hassan II, avant gardiste, avait dit à ce sujet que" La haine d'Israël et du juif est l'aphrodisiaque le plus puissant du monde arabo-musulman" Les monarchies du Golfe, longtemps porteuses d’un discours modéré et favorable au dialogue, s’imposent désormais comme des modèles régionaux de stabilité et de coopération avec l’Occident, mais également avec les puissances d’Asie. Le rôle traditionnel d’Israël comme pivot des intérêts occidentaux au Moyen-Orient semble s’effriter au profit d’une dynamique où les monarchies du Golfe prennent le devant de la scène. La multiplication des conflits et la perception d’un Israël de plus en plus isolé sur la scène internationale, ne serait qu’au niveau des populations, fragilisent sa position. L’Europe, de son côté, même tergiversant, manifeste un durcissement de ton face aux actions israéliennes, notamment après les récents incidents en Cisjordanie où des diplomates avaient été la cible de tirs nourris de la part de l’armée de l’état hébreux. Ce changement d’attitude ne peut que renforcer la légitimité des monarchies du Golfe comme partenaires fiables pour l’Occident car désormais garant de la stabilité et du calme dans la région. L’organisation récente d’une conférence mondiale sur la question palestinienne au Maroc, signataire des Accords d’Abraham, coprésidée par la Hollande, illustre cette nouvelle dynamique. Le Maroc faut-il le souligner encore une fois est un allié stratégique des monarchies du golfe auxquelles il est lié par de multiples accords, allant jusqu’à la défense. Les propos du ministre des Affaires étrangères marocain, Nacer Bourita, sont on ne peut plus clair quant à la nécessité de condamner tous les extrémismes, sous-entendu l’extrémisme du Hamas mais également celui des composantes du gouvernement actuel d’Israël. Ce discours symbolise l’espoir d’un renouveau politique dans la région insistant sur le respect du droit international et la solution unique possible, celle de deux états vivant côte à côte. C'est la position également de la France dont le président n’hésite plus à parler de reconnaissance de l’état palestinien, en faisant même un élément capital dans ses discussions là où il se rend dans ses multiples visites à l’étranger. Addicte au sang et à la violence, Netanyahu n’hésite même plus à accuser le Président Macron d’être en croisade contre l’état juif. Excusez du peu. Le leader israélien est touché dans le vif et n’a plus d’argument plausible sinon de s’abriter derrière sa définition propre de l’antisémitisme qu’il distribue un peu à tout le monde. Il faut dire que les vétos répétitifs des américains au Conseil de Sécurité, le conforte en quelques sortes dans son délire. La réaction démesurée d’Israël suite aux attaques insensées du Hamas est devenue contreproductive pour l’état hébreu. Alors qu’il semble perdre son rôle de leader incontesté des intérêts occidentaux dans la région, les monarchies du Golfe apparaissent donc comme les nouveaux stabilisateurs et promoteurs de la paix au Moyen-Orient. Cette recomposition géopolitique pourrait bien redéfinir durablement l’équilibre des forces dans une région marquée par les conflits incessants. L’imbrication forte de l’économie américaines avec celle de ces pays, au vu des derniers investissements annoncés, va inscrire la situation naissante dans une perspective stable et sans doute durable. Les électeurs israéliens ont tout intérêt à le comprendre vite. Dès la prochaine échéance électorale ils devraient se débarrasser définitivement de ces illuminés qui n’ont que la mort à la bouche et l’extermination d’un peuple légitime comme objectif.
Aziz Daouda Aziz Daouda

Aziz Daouda

Directeur Technique et du Développement de la Confédération Africaine d'Athlétisme. Passionné du Maroc, passionné d'Afrique. Concerné par ce qui se passe, formulant mon point de vue quand j'en ai un. Humaniste, j'essaye de l'être, humain je veux l'être. Mon histoire est intimement liée à l'athlétisme marocain et mondial. J'ai eu le privilège de participer à la gloire de mon pays .


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Agentic AI Beyond Benchmarks: Meta-Agents & the Future of AI Evaluation with Khalil Mrini 134

I recently sat down with Khalil Mrini to talk about his work and international experiences. He has spent time in Marrakech, Switzerland, India, and the United States, each place influencing his perspective in different ways. We also mentioned his visit at the UM6P, his experience of the university, students and innkvative AI curriculum. Khalil presented his new paper on agentic AI. The paper focuses on the use of autonomous agents to evaluate and benchmark other agents: essentially, systems that can test one another’s capabilities. He described how this approach could provide a more dynamic and optimal method for measuring progress in AI research. We ended the conversation by discussing AI ethics. Our exchange raised open questions about responsibility, transparency, and how the field can ensure that increasingly autonomous systems align with human values.
youtu.be/zE7PKRjrid4

A Historical Triptych: How Morocco, Spain, and Portugal are Forging the Success of the 2030 World Cup 270

The assignment of the 2030 FIFA World Cup hosting rights to the unprecedented trio of Morocco, Portugal, and Spain marks the opening of a new chapter in the history of international and sporting relations. The joint organization of this event confirms an unparalleled dynamic, engaging the three nations in a triangular cooperation whose efficiency will be the decisive marker of this global event's success. This trilateral partnership transcends mere logistical collaboration to become a true lever for strategic development. The question is no longer whether bilateral relations are ready, but how their integration into a strengthened trilateral framework will guarantee the success of a mega-event poised to connect, for the first time, two continents through the medium of sport. Historical ties and geographical proximity provide a fertile ground for a remarkable intensification of relations between these three partners. The announcement of their tripartite bid has, in fact, elevated the need for harmonized coordination in the logistical, economic, and security domains to the level of a strategic imperative. I. The Political and Economic Foundations of Enhanced Cooperation The alignment around the 2030 project is not fortuitous; it is rooted in deep political and economic considerations that mutualize the interests of the three countries. •⁠ ⁠The Imperative of Convergence suffers no ambivalence: Spain and Portugal, while operating within the structural framework of the European Union, recognize Morocco as an essential strategic partner, a genuine gateway and pivot to the African continent. This dynamic is not unilateral; the Kingdom is consolidating its Euro-African anchor with heightened clarity through this same alliance. The World Cup deadline, far from being a simple calendar constraint, acts as a powerful lever, forcing the acceleration—often judged too slow—of regulatory, customs, and security convergence processes among the three capitals. Crucially, the political will displayed at the highest level—symbolized by the direct monitoring of Moroccan commitments by His Majesty King Mohammed VI—stands as a decisive catalyst, ensuring the establishment of a unified and enduring policy line, even in the face of contingencies and fluctuations in political majorities within the allied states. •⁠ ⁠Mutualization of Investments and Benefits: On the economic front, the World Cup represents an unprecedented opportunity to boost trade and investment. The trilateral agreements directly influence the planning of major works: the goal is no longer to build isolated infrastructures, but integrated networks (ports, air links, potential high-speed rail connections) designed for interoperability. The harmonization of tourism offerings and incentivizing fiscal regimes for sponsors and investors is crucial to maximize shared benefits. The success of coordination in the logistical, economic, and security domains will not be merely a performance indicator; it will be the symbol of a collective capacity to manage a complex event on a transcontinental scale. II. Managing Complexities: The Challenges of Co-Development An event of this magnitude, operated by three sovereign states, naturally generates frictions and coordination challenges that require first-rate diplomatic and technical management. •⁠ ⁠The Challenge of Global Security and Integrated Transport: The primary obstacle is the creation of a unified security space for the millions of supporters on the move. This demands real-time information sharing, coordination of law enforcement agencies, and the harmonization of emergency protocols. Concurrently, the transport system must be conceived as a single network. The transit of teams and supporters between Europe and Africa must be fluid, reliable, and ecological, necessitating targeted investments in airport capacity and maritime services. •⁠ ⁠The Cultural and Civilizational Vector: Beyond sport, the World Cup is a diplomatic platform. The secondary, but fundamental, challenge is to move beyond simple technical organization to present an ideal model of intercultural coexistence. Morocco, Spain, and Portugal must invest in promoting their cross-cultural heritages, consolidating the values of peace and mutual respect. This involves qualifying national institutions not only in logistics but also in public management and global media interaction, to avoid the pitfalls of fragmented or sensationalist coverage. III. The Structuring Influence of Bilateral Agreements on Logistics The influence of existing agreements between the three countries is vital for infrastructure development. The current stage is characterized by high anticipation from the private sectors and sports observers, who are watching for the concrete acceleration of construction projects. The overall efficiency of the operation—whether considering the pre-event phase, execution during the tournament, or the post-realization legacy—rests entirely on the solidity of the triangular commitment. The transformation of infrastructures, from stadiums to training centers and reception areas, must be carried out in a spirit of normative alignment. In conclusion, the 2030 World Cup is not merely the sum of three national organizations; it is a project of strategic co-development. The strong historical relations uniting the Kingdom of Morocco, Portugal, and Spain, amplified by a constant and high-level political will, constitute the decisive element for transforming this bid into a resounding success, offering the world a precedent of successful integration between two shores.

Law 30-09: A “Tree with Bitter Fruits” Hindering the Development of Moroccan Sports 272

While Morocco’s recent performances on the international stage—particularly in football—demonstrate its growing dynamism, the legal framework governing the sports sector seems unable to keep pace with this evolution. Conceived in the wake of the 2008 Royal Letter and enacted in 2010, Law No. 30-09, which was meant to modernize the national sports system, now reveals—fifteen years after its delayed implementation—serious limitations. Marked by internal inconsistencies, deficient enforcement, and pervasive state interference, the law ultimately undermines its original purpose: to professionalize Moroccan sport and align it with international standards. I. Excessive Requirements and Forgotten Sanctions Born from a clear political will to reform Moroccan sport and provide it with a modern legal framework, Law 30-09 has quickly become a rigid and impractical instrument. One of its most emblematic—and controversial—provisions is the obligation imposed on certain sports associations to establish sports corporations (Sociétés Anonymes). While the intent was to ensure sound governance, fiscal transparency, and executive accountability, practice has revealed the limits of this approach. •⁠ ⁠A disproportionate constraint. Most associations lack the financial and organizational capacity to comply with such structural obligations. •⁠ ⁠A flawed and inapplicable framework. The law establishes three non-cumulative conditions triggering the obligation to form a sports company. Only the first has been clarified by regulation, while the other two—relating to turnover and payroll—were never defined by governmental decree. As a result, the rule remains largely inoperative, especially since the penalties for non-compliance are systematically ignored. •⁠ ⁠An unfinished reform. Even among the few clubs that have complied, the parent association still holds the majority of the share capital. This structural lock prevents the opening of capital to private investors, thus maintaining dependency on the old associative model rather than promoting professionalization. II. The Persistent Shadow of the State: An Interference Contrary to Autonomy Principles By its very nature, sport is a sphere of autonomy, an ethos enshrined in the Moroccan Constitution and in the regulations of international organizations such as FIFA. Yet Law 30-09 establishes the supervising ministry as the true guardian of the sector, concentrating significant and often excessive powers: •⁠ ⁠An extensive right of scrutiny. The ministry approves statutes, grants accreditation, and confers authorization to national federations. •⁠ ⁠A pronounced power of interference. The administration may impose standard contracts and, more seriously, revoke authorization or dissolve a federation in the event of a “serious violation.” Such prerogatives contradict the spirit of the Constitution, which reserves this power to the judiciary. •⁠ ⁠Institutional omnipresence. A state representative must sit within the governing bodies of both the national federations and the Moroccan National Olympic Committee (CNOM), reinforcing state oversight at the expense of autonomy. This predominant executive control contradicts the principles of independence that underpin both national constitutional law and the global sports governance model. III. The Ambiguous Status of Athletes: The Law’s Major Omission Beyond institutional deficiencies, Law 30-09 exposes a serious legal vacuum regarding the status of athletes. The professional athlete’s contract is treated as an ordinary employment contract—an assimilation that raises significant difficulties. •⁠ ⁠The legislator had to create several exceptions to the Labour Code (five-year fixed-term contracts, exclusivity clauses, conditions for unilateral termination), resulting in an incoherent hybrid regime. •⁠ ⁠Although classified as “employees,” professional athletes do not enjoy the social protection and retirement benefits normally afforded to workers. •⁠ ⁠As for amateur athletes, their status remains completely unaddressed by the law. The provisions aimed at supporting athlete training and post-career reconversion are equally deficient. They are neither mandatory nor widely implemented, few training centers exist, and many athletes lack the educational background needed to benefit from such programs. IV. The Need for a Moroccan Sports Code Faced with these structural weaknesses, a piecemeal revision of the law is no longer adequate. The codification of sports law—through the adoption of a comprehensive Moroccan Sports Code—is now an imperative step toward supporting the country’s international ambition. Drawing inspiration from the French model, such a reform would serve several key purposes: 1.⁠ ⁠Clarifying and consolidating the dispersed legal texts, regulations, and case law to facilitate specialization among legal practitioners. 2.⁠ ⁠Correcting inconsistencies by redefining the jurisdictional competences of the State and creating a sui generis legal status for professional and amateur athletes. 3.⁠ ⁠Modernizing the legal framework by integrating fiscal and social regimes specific to sports entities and individuals. Despite its initial promise of modernization, Law 30-09 has become a “tree with bitter fruits.” Instead of fostering professionalism, it has constrained the sector and amplified its institutional fragility. Only a complete codification—reflecting Morocco’s socio-economic realities and the principles of good governance—can ensure a coherent, autonomous, and sustainable framework for the country’s sports development.

Chapter 5: Synthesis- The Consilience of the Framework 372

The evidentiary power and utility of this integrated framework—Orbits, Latticework, Pipeline—lies in its consilience. It weaves breakthroughs from wildly disparate fields into a single, coherent explanatory tapestry, revealing a universal pattern of successful inquiry. From Ballpark to Trading Floor: The narratives of Moneyball and The Big Short are isomorphic: Both begin with a philosophical reframing of value (what makes a baseball player valuable; what is the true risk of a mortgage bond). Both proceed through scientific, data-driven discovery of a massive market inefficiency (OBP vs. price; real default risk vs. AAA ratings). Both culminate in the formulation and execution of a winning model (a roster of undervalued players; a portfolio of credit default swaps). They are the same story, told in different arenas. From Sideline to Boardroom- José Mourinho’s Tactical Objectivity: The strategic success of football manager José Mourinho, particularly in his early career at Porto, Chelsea, and Inter Milan, can be precisely deconstructed through this lens. Lacking a storied playing career, he was unburdened by the sport’s internal, dogmatic "ways of knowing." His Outer Orbit philosophy was defined with stark clarity: winning is the sole aesthetic. His Middle Orbit work became legendary: obsessive, scientific analysis of opponents, involving countless hours of video to identify specific tactical vulnerabilities in individual players and systemic gaps in team shape. His Inner Orbit genius was in formulation: he would design rigorous, often defensively-oriented game models tailored to exploit those precise weaknesses, demanding robotic discipline from his players. His famous 1-0 victories, frequently derided as "anti-football" or "boring," were direct, logical products of pursuing objective victory over subjective aesthetic approval. He demonstrated that objectivity often requires enduring backlash from a consensus invested in a different, more romantic model of the game. From Factory Flow to Protein Fold: Taiichi Ohno’s andon cord and Demis Hassabis’s AlphaFold: Both are profound interventions based on latticework understanding. Ohno designed a human-technological system to make local truth (a defect) instantly global, optimizing a physical manufacturing lattice. Hassabis built a computational system to infer the spatial relationship lattice of amino acids from evolutionary data, optimizing our understanding of the biological lattice. One is mechanical and human, the other digital and abstract, but both are solutions born from seeing a problem as a network of relationships to be modeled and managed. The Contemporary Imperative-The Age of the Synthesist: The historical drift of knowledge since the Enlightenment has been from integration toward fragmentation. The Renaissance ideal of the uomo universale (universal man) gave way to the Industrial Age’s demand for the hyper-specialist. The 20th century perfected the silo. The 21st century, however, presents us with a stark imperative that demands a synthesis, a return to integrated thinking, but now armed with powerful new tools and facing problems of unprecedented scale. Two convergent forces make the orbital, latticework methodology not merely beneficial, but essential for competent navigation of our time. The Nature of Our Tools: Our most powerful analytical engines—Artificial Intelligence (particularly machine learning and large language models) and, on the horizon, Quantum Computing—are inherently cross-orbital and lattice-native. Deploying AI effectively on any complex problem, from drug discovery to climate modeling to ethical dilemma resolution, requires precise philosophical framing (defining objectives, values, and constraints to avoid perverse outcomes), robust and curated scientific data grounding, and exquisite mathematical formulation of the model architecture and training paradigm. These tools fail, often catastrophically and insidiously, with fragmented, siloed, or philosophically unexamined input. They demand, and therefore will select for, synthesist thinkers who can navigate all three orbits and think in terms of interconnected systems. The Nature of Our Challenges: The existential problems that define our epoch are quintessential latticework challenges. They cannot be contained within academic departments or government agencies. They are not "physics problems" or "economics problems." They are system problems. The specialized intellect, trained to dig ever deeper into a single vertical silo, is architecturally unequipped to even properly define them, let alone solve them. These challenges demand minds capable of orbital thinking across the lattice, minds that can hold multiple models, trace second- and third-order consequences, and formulate strategies that are robust across multiple domains of reality. Objectivity as the Foundational Operating System. The pursuit of objective truth is not a passive state of receiving revealed wisdom. It is an active, disciplined, and often confrontational chase. It requires the moral courage to question foundational premises in the Outer Orbit, the intellectual rigor to map reality without favor or illusion in the Middle Orbit, and the creative potency to formally synthesize understanding in the Inner Orbit. It demands that we see the world not as a collection of unrelated events, but as a vast, dynamic lattice of interlocking causes and effects. And it is best navigated with the structured, self-correcting protocol of the Objectivity Pipeline. This framework proposes objectivity not as the cold, emotionless province of a narrow scientism, but as a universal operating system for understanding, a scalable, rigorous, and ultimately humane methodology applicable with equal force to the equations of a physicist, the ethical calculus of a jurist, the investment thesis of a historian, the innovation of an engineer, and the strategy of a state. Subjectivity is the fog of un-modeled complexity. The Orbits Model, the Latticework Theory, and the Objectivity Pipeline constitute the navigation system—the charts, the compass, and the piloting protocol. In an epoch defined by overwhelming information, pervasive misinformation, and tools of god-like power whose misuse carries existential risk, mastering this chase is no longer an intellectual luxury or a philosophical pastime. It is the essential meta-skill, the foundational logic upon which reliable judgment, effective action, and meaningful progress depend. The choice before us is not between a subjective world and an objective one, but between wandering in the fog and building a lighthouse. The architecture for the lighthouse is here. The materials are the disciplines of thought we have inherited and refined. The builders must now be us.