Sarkozy, in the shadow of Chirac

The French president has never been popular with the Moroccan public opinion. His image, degraded by its "bling" has never deleted a certain nostalgia for Chirac, "the friend of the Arabs."

Sarkozy emerges! Morocco is not for sale! "While the French president began a whirlwind tour Thursday, Sept. 29 at Tangier to open alongside the King of Morocco, the site of the Moroccan TGV is a drubbing that is received on social networks.
It must be said that contrary to Jacques Chirac , his predecessor, Nicolas Sarkozy has never been popular in Morocco, as it probably is elsewhere in the Arab world, except of course for Libya, where the revolutionaries have received as a liberator .
Why such antipathy for those who seem to elbow whenever the opportunity arises to defend the interests of Morocco internationally?

An image "bling-bling" that Moroccans do not like

The evening of Fouquet's on his own travels in the palace of Mohammed VI in Marrakech, Sarkozy returns an image inconsistent with some idea of the Republic. This criticism is certainly not the prerogative of the Moroccans, but in Rabat, the grandeur of France is tarnished.

An attitude that Moroccans do not necessarily vis-à-vis their king, a lover of luxury and also friend of the stars of showbiz ... Moreover, on this, but stays usual discrete Jacques Chirac and his wife Bernadette Taroudant in southern Morocco, are almost taken as an example.

Diplomacy and cynical Arab tropism considered disingenuous

Sarkozy's commitment alongside the anti-Gaddafi perplexing. It shows a more calculated and much catching up late diplomacy considered "next to the plate" during the Arab revolution. The episode MAM in Tunisia , the continued support for regimes leave no room for doubt. In Morocco, we accept the invitation to the Guide of the Libyan side in 2007 and degrading to the image of France to see him impose his whims, like to have pitched his tent in the heart of Paris.
No, really, the tropism Arabic, traditional marker of French diplomacy in the Middle East is not considered honest with Sarkozy, too conciliatory in the eyes of Moroccans with Israel.
Chirac's commitment in this area is still a very nice resonance with the Moroccan public opinion. His spat with the Israeli security service during a visit to Jerusalem, the speech of Dominique de Villepin at the UN forum to mark the non-alignment with the policy of Paris going to war in Washington in Iraq and Afghanistan remain etched in our memories.
From this view point, Atlantic Sarkozy is far from being appreciated. As did his project stillborn Union for the Mediterranean, which has never convinced either. Not to mention the attitude of France in the Moroccan business. The unwavering support for the pace of political reforms desired by the monarchy , taken to "model" in the Arab world, not to please everyone, especially when Paris looks away on the repeated attacks on civil liberties or pretended not to perceive the emergence of a challenge more and more determined to do battle with the authoritarianism of the Alawite regime .
On this front, Chirac has no advantage over Sarkozy. The kingdom has always been able to obtain the indulgence of the French, sometimes at the cost of harmful interference at the expense of Democrats.

A sales representative of the CAC 40 in conquered territory

  This may be the main complaint opposed to Sarkozy to Morocco. Not content with not being able to place its Rafale (the Moroccans have preferred the American F-16 to modernize their air force), Sarkozy seems to have loaded the boat Moroccan by imposing a series of contracts in Rabat, for purchases that n have not necessarily convinced, and above all that were not submitted to the elected officials: the TGV and its 3 billion euro investment, the equivalent of the annual budget for public investment of the state- , a frigate of 470 million euros for the oversized Moroccan defense ... all funded by loans incurred a tight budget Moroccan.
The assistance of France in terms of economic cooperation is coupled with a massive debt and worrying to the United funders of the Hexagon. Moreover, the hegemony of French companies at all stages of the Moroccan economy is seen as a neo business. The feeling is not grossly populist, it is based on a reality papable: the Morocco is a cash cow for multinational lights who often practice a cash economy with margins insolent.  
All these and many others are subject to debate in Morocco. If the notice can sometimes be shared, rented of course some "exemplary of Franco-Moroccan" - the feeling of complicity in the royal entourage and the business community with a Republic of "friends and scoundrels" to through lobbying circles where money is the key word, remains predominant.
The Paris-Rabat, its networks of influence multiplied since Sarkozy came to power, the escapades of the subscribers to La Mamounia , cause some frustration. On the other hand, the benevolent paternalism of the Chirac era is not late for that.
The first steps of President Sarkozy in the ground had been undertaken chérifienne in pain. The Palace was not appreciated for his first visit as head of state in North Africa in 2007, Nicolas Sarkozy has chosen to begin his journey in Algiers and Tunis, before finally rallying Oujda, Morocco border city of Algeria , when Mohammed VI went on tour. The visit will also postponed and will cause a memorable quarrel between the two countries.

"The favorite son of France in the Maghreb"

Links with the Makhzen Sarkozy had yet started auspiciously well before he was elected, when chained private getaways in Marrakech and meetings with friends of the royal entourage, maintaining as many others before him the permanent arrangement of the French right and the Alawite throne: Valéry Giscard d'Estaing and Jacques Chirac in particular has always displayed an unwavering support to the kingdom.
But on the diplomatic front, the balancing act played by Sarkozy between Rabat and Algiers will cause continual grinding with "the favorite son of France in North Africa," to borrow a phrase often heard at the Quai d'Orsay.
Small pouting of both sides that will not stop Rabat to benefit the valuable support of the Elysee on the thorny issue of Western Sahara , or for the achievement in 2008 of "advanced status" that the kingdom called for to European Union-despite the great reluctance of other European capitals because of violations of human rights and freedom of the press .
In trying the shoes of his predecessor in his own way, Nicolas Sarkozy was even further in his voluntarism towards Morocco. If Jacques Chirac stated that "the monarchy is the only guarantor of stability of Morocco" , Nicolas Sarkozy will continue to salute his "breakthroughs" and "exemplary action" .