February 12, 2006
AVOID OUR MISTAKES:
Feud With King Tests Freedoms In Morocco (Craig Whitlock, February 12, 2006, Washington Post)
The monarchy in this North African country dates back 1,200 years and has survived foreign invaders, civil wars and communist plots. Now it is confronted by a new threat: a grandmother who preaches nonviolence and democracy.This week, Moroccan prosecutors are scheduled to resume a criminal trial against Nadia Yassine, a leader of Justice and Charity, an underground Islamic movement that has become increasingly aggressive in testing the rule of King Mohammed VI. Yassine, 47, was charged last June with publicly criticizing the monarchy after she stated in a newspaper interview that the country would be better off as a republic than as a kingdom. [...]
Since ascending the throne in 1999, Mohammed has transformed his country by approving parliamentary elections, a robust press and equal rights for women, giving Moroccans more freedom than most of their Arab neighbors in North Africa and the Middle East. Those changes have also given new life to long-suppressed opposition groups that are demanding more concessions from the king but do not necessarily believe in a Western-style democracy.
As a result, Moroccans are watching to see who wins the latest battle between Mohammed and Yassine, whose families have feuded and dominated the nation's politics for decades.
A compromise would grant them the ideal: a monarchical republic. Posted by Orrin Judd at February 12, 2006 8:42 AM
I think after more than 200 years we can safely say that Adams was wrong. Not only is the Presidency stronger than he expected, but the Senate is clearly the weakest branch of the legislature because all its members see a President in the mirror every morning.
Posted by: David Cohen at February 12, 2006 11:10 AMYet the presidency too is weak in the face of the Court or a strong legislative majority, which is why a monarch would perfect the system.
Posted by: oj at February 12, 2006 1:01 PM