Think Forward.

Le “Conseil de la paix” de Trump : pragmatisme stratégique ou signal d’alarme pour l’ordre international ? 91

L’invitation adressée par le président américain Donald Trump à Sa Majesté le Roi Mohammed VI pour intégrer le nouveau « Conseil de la paix » marque un tournant significatif dans la pratique contemporaine des relations internationales. Elle ne relève ni du protocole ni du symbolique, mais s’inscrit dans une reconfiguration assumée des mécanismes de gestion des conflits mondiaux. L’acceptation de cette invitation par le Souverain, alors que le président algérien n’a pas été convié et que l’Afrique demeure largement sous-représentée pour ne pas dire ignorée, souligne une logique sélective fondée non sur la géographie ou l’idéologie, mais sur l’utilité politique telle que perçue de l'acteur mondial que sont les USA. Dans le communiqué officiel annonçant l'acceptation du Souverain, il a été explicitement rappelé les fondamentaux de la diplomatie marocaine vis à vis de la question palestinienne et notamment la solution à deux états vivant côte à côte. Les relations de confiance tant avec les parties arabes concernés notamment les palestiniens de Gaza et ceux de Cisjordanie d'un coté, qu'avec Israël de l'autre, laisse entrevoir parfaitement le rôle qui sera celui du Royaume dans l'instauration de la paix et pour la reconstruction de la région. N'est ce pas une façon directe de consacrer une diplomatie de résultats face à l’essoufflement du multilatéralisme qui bat de l'aile depuis belle lurette. Depuis des décennies, les grandes institutions internationales, au premier rang desquelles l’ONU, peinent à résoudre des conflits prolongés. Le Conseil de sécurité est paralysé par le droit de veto, les processus de paix sont figés, les missions onusiennes sans horizon politique clair : les symptômes d’un système saturé sont évidents. Le Conseil de la paix voulu par Donald Trump s’inscrit lui dans une logique de rupture. Il ne cherche ni à produire du droit international ni à imposer des normes universelles, mais à créer un cadre informel de négociation directe entre acteurs influents, y compris ceux que le système onusien peine à intégrer de manière opérationnelle. Dans ce contexte le Maroc est surement un acteur de stabilité et un médiateur discret, crédible et efficace. La présence du Roi du Maroc dans cette instance reflète une reconnaissance internationale d’un modèle diplomatique fondé sur la stabilité, la continuité et le pragmatisme. Le Maroc s’est imposé comme un acteur capable de dialoguer avec des partenaires aux intérêts divergents, tout en maintenant une ligne stratégique claire et chacun sait que c'est Sa Majesté lui même qui à a initié cette vision et qui conduit cette diplomatie distinguée. C'est ce qui explique le caractère particulier de l'invitation adressée au souverain. À l’inverse, l’exclusion de certains États révèle les limites d’une diplomatie fondée sur la conflictualité permanente et la posture idéologique aveugle. Dans une logique trumpienne, l’efficacité prévaut sur la représentativité. Le pragmatisme sur la stérilité et l'aveuglement idéologique désuet. La question est alors de comprendre si dans ce contexte l'ONU est marginalisée ou poussée à la réforme ? Ce Conseil ne signe pas la fin de l’ONU pour l'immédiat en tout cas, mais en expose la crise existentielle. Si une instance parallèle parvient à obtenir, rapidement, des résultats tangibles, comme cela est revendiqué sur certains dossiers africains entre autres, alors la question de la légitimité fonctionnelle du système onusien se posera avec acuité. L’initiative du Président Trump peut ainsi être interprétée comme un déclencheur : soit d’un affaiblissement progressif de l’ONU qu'il n'affectionne pas trop, soit d’une réforme profonde de ses mécanismes décisionnels, notamment du Conseil de sécurité. Et comme le président Trump est déjà à mi mandant et qu'il ne peut en briguer un autre, alors il faut comprendre que les choses vont aller très vite. Le contexte est aussi très particulier avec une fracture transatlantique révélatrice d'un malaise qui couve depuis le premier mandant de Trump qui n'accepte plus de défendre une Europe hostile et de plus en plus tributaire des budgets américains pour cette défense. Le refus de pays européens, dont la France, de rejoindre cette nouvelle instance traduit une divergence stratégique croissante entre l’Europe et les États-Unis. Là où Washington privilégie le rapport de force et la négociation directe, l’Europe demeure attachée à un multilatéralisme normatif, parfois déconnecté des réalités du terrain. Son hypocrisie diplomatique et ses deux poids deux mesures sur pas mal de questions sont ici mis à nu. Sa position et son enlisement en Ukraine témoigne bien de la situation anachronique de sa stratégie. L'invitation de Vladimir Poutine, accentue cette fracture, notamment dans le contexte des conflits en Ukraine et des tensions géopolitiques en Arctique. L'Europe ne sait plus sur quel terrain aller avec le Président Trump. Comment interpréter le propos du Président Macron qui, à Davos, dit qu'il n'acceptait pas la loi du plus fort sans le nommer. C'est qui le plus fort dès lors que celui à qui il fait illusion est bien l'initiateur du nouveau Conseil...Ne s'agit il pas ici véritablement d'un partage de puissance? Pourquoi alors refuser d'en faire partie! Et puis à Trump de répondre à Macron en refusant une invitation à une réunion du G7... Le Conseil de Paix de Donald Trump pour l'instant, n’est ni une alternative institutionnelle complète à l’ONU ni une simple initiative conjoncturelle. Il est le symptôme d’un monde impatient face à l’inefficacité des cadres traditionnels. Dans ce contexte, le rôle qui sera celui du Roi du Maroc illustre la montée en puissance d’acteurs capables d’articuler pragmatisme, stabilité et crédibilité internationale. Plus qu’un changement d’architecture, cette initiative révèle une transformation profonde des règles implicites de la gouvernance mondiale. Et comme le siège du Conseil n'est pas encore connu pourquoi ne pas le voir s'installer au Maroc. L'invitation spéciale adressée à Sa Majesté le Roi Mohammed VI est de bonne augure et peut être aussi comprise dans cette optique. Le Maroc deviendrait ainsi le centre névralgique de la Paix dans le monde.
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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Trump’s “Council of Peace”: Strategic Pragmatism or Alarm Signal for the International Order? 309

The invitation extended by U.S. President Donald Trump to His Majesty King Mohammed VI to join the new “Council of Peace” marks a significant turning point in contemporary international relations practice. It stems neither from protocol nor symbolism, but fits into an assumed reconfiguration of global conflict management mechanisms. The Sovereign's acceptance of this invitation, while the Algerian president was not invited and Africa remains largely underrepresented, if not ignored, highlights a selective logic based not on geography or ideology, but on political utility as perceived by the USA as a global actor. In the official communiqué announcing the Sovereign's acceptance, Morocco's diplomatic fundamentals regarding the Palestinian issue were explicitly reiterated, particularly the two-state solution with states living side by side. The trust-based relations with the concerned Arab parties, especially Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank on one side, and Israel on the other, perfectly foreshadow the role the Kingdom will play in establishing peace and rebuilding the region. Isn't this a direct way to consecrate a results-oriented diplomacy in the face of the long-ailing multilateralism that has been faltering for quite some time? For decades, major international institutions, starting with the UN, have struggled to resolve protracted conflicts. The Security Council is paralyzed by the veto right, peace processes are stalled, UN missions lack a clear political horizon: the symptoms of a saturated system are evident. Donald Trump's envisioned Council of Peace, by contrast, follows a logic of rupture. It seeks neither to produce international law nor to impose universal norms, but to create an informal framework for direct negotiation among influential actors, including those the UN system struggles to integrate operationally. In this context, Morocco is undoubtedly a stability actor and a discreet, credible, and effective mediator. The presence of the King of Morocco in this body reflects international recognition of a diplomatic model founded on stability, continuity, and pragmatism. Morocco has established itself as an actor capable of dialoguing with partners of divergent interests while maintaining a clear strategic line, and everyone knows that it is His Majesty himself who initiated this vision and leads this distinguished diplomacy. This explains the particular nature of the invitation addressed to the Sovereign. Conversely, the exclusion of certain states reveals the limits of a diplomacy based on permanent conflictuality and blind ideological posturing. In a Trumpian logic, effectiveness trumps representativeness. Pragmatism prevails over sterility and outdated ideological blindness. The question then becomes: in this context, is the UN being marginalized or pushed toward reform? This Council does not signal the immediate end of the UN, but it exposes its existential crisis. If a parallel body achieves tangible results quickly, as claimed on certain African dossiers, among others, then the question of the UN system's functional legitimacy will arise acutely. President Trump's initiative can thus be seen as a trigger: either for a progressive weakening of the UN, which he has little fondness for, or for a profound reform of its decision-making mechanisms, particularly the Security Council. And since President Trump is already midway through his term and cannot run again, things will move very quickly. The context is also highly particular, with a transatlantic fracture revealing a malaise that has been simmering since Trump's first term, he no longer accepts defending a hostile Europe that is increasingly dependent on American budgets for its defense. The refusal of European countries, including France, to join this new body translates a growing strategic divergence between Europe and the United States. While Washington prioritizes power dynamics and direct negotiation, Europe remains attached to a normative multilateralism, sometimes disconnected from ground realities. Its diplomatic hypocrisy and double standards on many issues are laid bare here. Its position and quagmire in Ukraine testify to the anachronistic state of its strategy. The invitation to Vladimir Putin accentuates this fracture, especially in the context of the Ukraine conflict and geopolitical tensions in the Arctic. Europe no longer knows on what ground to engage with President Trump. How to interpret President Macron's statement at Davos, where he said he did not accept the law of the strongest without naming it? Who is the strongest, then, when the one he alludes to is precisely the initiator of the new Council? Isn't this truly a sharing of power? Why refuse to be part of it! And then Trump responds to Macron by declining an invitation to a G7 meeting... For now, Donald Trump's Council of Peace is neither a complete institutional alternative to the UN nor a mere conjunctural initiative. It is the symptom of a world impatient with the ineffectiveness of traditional frameworks. In this context, the role that the King of Morocco will play illustrates the rise of actors capable of articulating pragmatism, stability, and international credibility. More than an architectural change, this initiative reveals a profound transformation of the implicit rules of global governance. And since the Council's seat is not yet known, why not envision it being established in Morocco? The special invitation addressed to His Majesty King Mohammed VI is a good omen and could even be understood in this light. Morocco would thus become the nerve center of Peace in the world.

The First Kill and the Conquest of Outer Space 779

When I watched "2001: A Space Odyssey" for the first time, directed by Stanley Kubrick, I must have been around 12 to 14 years old. Obviously, I understood absolutely nothing. I watched it driven purely by my affinity for science fiction, more specifically for the theme of space. However, when I watched it again almost 20 years later, already graduated as a biologist, I arrived at an understanding of the first act that I believe few people have had. At least that was my perception, since none of the people I spoke to about it saw the connection that I am about to present. There is a striking scene in the film that I call “The Cut”: the abrupt transition from the first to the second act, in which an ancestral primate of humankind, holding a bone, throws it into the air, and the camera follows the bone as it rises until the director cuts to a space station in a future time. The message I perceived was that, at the moment these hominids began to consume meat, since before that they gathered seeds, ate roots and vegetables alongside herbivorous animals, there was a significant change that, in my view, represented an evolutionary leap. When an individual noticed the skeleton of an animal, there was a long, robust bone, probably a femur. He picked up this bone and began to manipulate it until he discovered that it could be used as a weapon. Wisely, the director alternates scenes of this individual testing the new weapon with scenes of him killing an animal that lived among them, followed immediately by scenes of them feeding on the meat of that slaughtered animal. We know that, among all sources of protein, meat has the highest protein content in the diet, and it is very likely that this increase in protein intake in the diet of our ancestors enabled an increase in brain mass and, consequently, an increase in cranial volume. This can be observed by comparing skulls of other closely related primates, such as chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans, and even fossil skulls that have been found. This difference is evident, allowing us to conclude that this was what propelled us evolutionarily in relation to our relatives within the primate order. It is clear in the scenes that, in addition to using the bone as a tool to kill prey, it was also used as a weapon to attack other groups or to defend against them, since behavior related to dispute and conquest has always been part of our construction as a biological species. And what is the relationship between all of this and the famous “cut” at the end of the film’s first act? It is that, at the moment our ancestors began to feed on meat, a process of brain enlargement began, which led to an increase in intelligence, an essential condition that would later make possible the conquest of outer space, as shown in the abrupt cut from the scene of the bone being thrown into the air to a space station in orbit. Well, this was my free interpretation of that important moment in the film. For this reason, I invite everyone to take a careful look at the messages that are conveyed, whether in films, songs, or works of art in general. The author has the need to communicate something through their art.

AFCON 2025: When Morocco Believes in Itself and in Africa.. 800

In 1961, John F.Kennedy issued an immortal challenge to Americans: "Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country." This call to individual responsibility helped forge a collective mindset rooted in civic engagement and self-transcendence. Contemporary America still bears the imprint of this philosophy in many ways. Decades later, Barack Obama rallied crowds with "Yes we can," a cry of unity and collective determination, while Donald Trump popularized "Make America Great Again," a slogan of national rebirth. These formulas are more than mere words: they crystallize moments when a people rediscover themselves, mobilize, and project toward the future. A kind of regeneration for a power afraid of falling, a way to revitalize a nation prone to forgetting itself or resting on its laurels? Morocco has also known this grammar of national mobilization. The late Hassan II forcefully reminded in one of his speeches: "We will only achieve this goal by translating nationalism into citizenship and by moving national consciousness from mere love for the homeland to effective engagement in building a Morocco that is a source of pride for all Moroccans." A founding vision: loving Morocco is not enough; it must be built. In the same spirit, His Majesty King Mohammed VI stated, on the occasion of the 2019 Throne Day, that "Morocco belongs to all Moroccans because it is our common home," calling on each to contribute to its construction, its development, as well as to the preservation of its unity, security, and stability. More recently, on the 2024 Throne Day, the Sovereign again emphasized the need to "pool the efforts of all Moroccans" and appealed to their patriotism as well as to their sense of individual and collective responsibility. A message that resonates, in Moroccan style, like a national "Yes we can," aimed at overcoming socio-economic challenges and consolidating achievements. **AFCON 2025: A Revealer of National Confidence.** It is in this context that Morocco experienced a major turning point with the organization of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. Well before kickoff, the AFCON was already acting as a powerful revealer: a revealer of the level of development achieved by the Kingdom, but also of the renewed confidence of Moroccans in their collective capacities. The international competition hosted by Morocco demonstrated unparalleled capacity: modern stadiums meeting the most demanding standards, extensive highway networks, efficient rail hubs, increasingly clean and organized cities, civility widely praised by visitors. Casablanca, Rabat, Tangier, Marrakech, or Agadir as examples only, embody this Morocco that advances, invests, and projects toward a bright future. These progresses are not the fruit of chance. They result from a strategic vision driven by His Majesty King Mohammed VI and translated into structuring investments: more than 2,000 km of highways built since the early 2000s, the Tanger Med port complex becoming a global reference in transshipment, or an ambitious energy policy aiming for over 52% renewable energies in the national mix by 2030. Thus, AFCON 2025 crowns a long-term process, not just a one-off flash. **Resilience, Solidarity, and International Credibility.** Even before the sporting event, the Al Haouz earthquake in September 2023 had already highlighted the resilience of the Moroccan nation. Faced with a major human tragedy, spontaneous solidarity—mass collections, citizen volunteering, mobilization of institutions, and the state's rapid intervention under royal impetus—demonstrated the strength of the national bond. The ongoing reconstruction has reinforced the conviction that Morocco knows how to face adversity. At the same time, macroeconomic indicators attest to an overall positive trajectory: gradual improvement in GDP per capita over the medium term, rise of sectors like automotive, aeronautics, and green energies, affirmation of the Kingdom as a central diplomatic actor in Africa. This international credibility, sometimes a source of regional tensions or criticisms, above all confirms that Morocco has crossed a strategic threshold. **A Success That Calls for More Engagement.** But this success is not an end in itself. It calls for more individual and collective efforts, more mutual trust between citizens, businesses, and institutions. More than ever, the question posed by Kennedy remains relevant: "What am I doing for my country?" Every Moroccan, at their level, is called upon. This dynamic rests on a common denominator: solidarity, extended by work, innovation, and responsibility. It translates into local initiatives, the rise of tech hubs in Casablanca, Rabat, or Tangier, investment in human capital, and adherence to the New Development Model, which aims for a more inclusive, more productive Morocco, better positioned in the global economy. **An Assumed African Ambition.** AFCON 2025 must also be understood as a moment of African fraternity. Morocco has affirmed its continental vocation there: to pull upward, share experience, strengthen South-South partnerships and economic interdependencies. Security, climate, social, and economic challenges are common; responses must be too. Morocco's destiny is inseparable from that of Africa, and Africa's depends on Morocco as well. A prosperous Morocco is an excellent locomotive for the rest of the continent, especially in the region. Sterile criticisms and entrenched or passing jealousies never withstand the seriousness of work, the constancy of effort, and the clarity of vision for long. Only the countries that advance, invest, and unite endure. **A Clear Mission.** The mission is now crystal clear: persevere, aim higher, stronger, and more united, under the leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI. Not by copying imported slogans, but by innovating, assuming our singularity, and confidently occupying the place that is naturally Morocco's on the global chessboard. Yes, "Yes we can," Moroccan style. Let us build together a stronger Morocco and a more confident Africa, not through denigration or sterile comparison, but through work, complementarity, and collective engagement. The world advances and waits for no one. Morocco has understood this. It is now up to each to choose: join this movement or stay on the sidelines of History. There will always be football cups.