The bilateral relationships between the United States and Morocco date back to the 18th century as Morocco was one of the first countries to recognize the newly independent United States in 1777 -Later, the two countries signed a treaty of peace and friendship in 1786. Nevertheless, formal diplomatic relations began only in 1905. The relations between the two states remained as good as they should be. There are many signs of cooperative ties between the two countries- at the economic level.The United States and Morocco signed an FTA on June 15, 2004. The Agreement entered into force on January 1, 2006.
It is worth noting that U.S. goods exports in 2024 totaled $5.3 billion, representing 37.3 percent increase from the previous year. Corresponding, U.S. imports from Morocco were $1.9 billion, up 12.3 percent from 2023 – As a result, Morocco became the 46th– largest export market for U.S. goods. At the military level, for twenty years, the two countries -besides Ghana, Senegal , and Tunisia – have been hosting the US African – Command largest, premier, and annual exercise ( Africa Lion ).
In November 2020, Donald Trump took an unprecedented decision by providing Rabat with what Moroccan diplomats had sought for decades: official and unambiguous recognition of Morocco sovereignty over the Western Sahara region. This decision paved the way for other countries to follow the US act steps–France was the last country to recognise Moroccan sovereignty in July 2024.
Though some local analysts (namely, Dr Samir Bennis) emphasized that “trump recognition of Western Sahara as part of Morocco was nothing short of an explicit translation of the long standing US position on the issue. ” However, it is understood that American recognition was a catalyst for more cooperation and shared foreign policy goals and stances. The issue of Western Sahara has always been a cornerstone in the US- Morocco relations ,among other crucial issues like countering terrorism -maintaining peace and stability in the MENA region, and safeguarding both countries’ national security interests.
It is not too much of an exaggeration to say that the process of normalising with Israel was a prerequisite for recognising the sovereignty of Morocco over Western Sahara. In 2023, Moroccan Israeli bilateral relations remained productive, with bilateral trade nearly doubled and tourism boosted by the addition flight routes. Agreements were signed in various areas including energy, food, water, education, technology, and others (Abraham Peace Institute, 2023). However, perhaps most significantly, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Israel’s formal recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over the Western Sahara. Before that, Morocco sought to gain” recognition from the US for its claim to the disputed territory of Western Sahara, as well as to strengthen trade and investment ties with Washington and Tel Aviv.”
Following all that has been stated before, the nature of the relationships between the US and Morocco can be categorized within the second point scale: cooperation. All the aspects of cooperation are evident in terms of political alliances, shared foreign policy goals, trade relations, joint military operations, and voting alignment in UN and Security Council.Historically, Morocco has been consistently an ally of the US and leading Western powers, showing no apathy towards communist orientations during the era of the two polar universal systems. Whereas, the Algerian regime, especially under the reign of Haouari Boumeddiene from 1965 to 1978, moulded the principles of anti-imperialism and anti-colonialism into a pillar of its foreign policy (Hasnaoui, 2024).
As long as Morocco is deemed a strategic ally of the US, it is imperative to note that Morocco has not spared efforts to strengthen its relations with other influential powers such Russia, China, and India. Anyway, the recent meeting between Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita and Secretary of State Marco Rubio clearly emphasized the notion of cooperation to advance shared priorities in the region, including by building on the Abraham Accords, and to expand commercial cooperation to benefit both Americans and Moroccans. Additionally , in the same meeting, The Secretary of State reiterated that the United States recognizes Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara and supports Morocco’s serious, credible, and realistic Autonomy Proposal as the sole basis for a just and lasting solution to the dispute.
Refrences
– Bennis, Samir (2024).The Self-Determination Delusion: how activist scholars and journalists have hijacked the Western Sahara Case, 1st edition: Morocco World News , p 47
-Hasnaoui, Yasmine, (2025) .The Western Sahara Deadlock Understanding Algeria role and the path to resolution , Published by Lexington books , London , UK
-History of the US and Morocco, US embassy and consulates in Morocco, (Access date, April 13th 2025): link https://ma.usembassy.gov/our-relationship/policy-history/io/
-Joint Declaration, the Kingdom of Morocco, the United States of America and the State of Israel, 2020
https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Joint-Declaration-US-Morrocco-Israel.pdf
-Abraham Peace Institute, Annual report, 2023 ,