For the United States, the Spain-Morocco alliance is urgent

Atalayar has held an interview with Alana Moceri, US political scientist, international relations analyst, writer and professor at the IE School of Global and Public Affairs. 

Alana Moceri's main areas of expertise are politics and communication in the US, the EU and Spain, including public diplomacy, electoral campaigns, disinformation campaigns, and popular and transnational activism.

According to Moceri, while she was astonished by Spanish President Pedro Sánchez's change of position on Western Sahara, she appreciates the great effort he made to rebuild relations between Madrid and Rabat. Spain must not enter into further conflict, and normalisation of bilateral relations with its Moroccan partner has always been a matter of extreme urgency for the Biden administration. According to Moceri, the recognition of Western Sahara's right to self-determination, already abandoned by the Spanish government, is not comparable to the future consultation endorsed by Catalonia. But even more, she is surprised that Spanish citizens do not believe that they occupy an important place in the European Union and in the world.

At the NATO Summit, Spain was perceived as the projection of a large European country to the world. What place does Spain occupy for the United States in North Africa?

The relationship between Spain and Morocco is projectable to Europe and Africa. When Spanish President Pedro Sánchez changed his position on the Western Sahara conflict, I found it shocking, but I understood that normalisation of bilateral relations between the two countries - mutual recognition and shared interests - is essential. Spain must find a way to avoid entering into further conflict. It is the best thing Sánchez could have done. 

For the US and for Europe, the Morocco-Spain alliance is necessarily urgent because of its geostrategic position in North Africa. Maintaining stability with its Moroccan partner is essential to combat scourges such as international terrorism and drug trafficking.

Many African countries are seduced by China's economic investments, having suffered the plundering of their natural resources by the West. How can the US avoid this major competitor in a key geo-strategic area?

More and more people are competing for the same space and resources. China acts as a private bank in Africa, lending through the financing of port infrastructure projects, for example, or the purchase of goods and services, not to mention the purchase of its agricultural and mineral production. Sooner or later, it will create problems on this continent. The United States can balance this situation because we cannot ignore the fact that China is trying to buy from these countries and is already demanding the debts contracted with interest.

How important are we to the Americans when they say that "Spain is a necessary and indispensable ally at this time"?

Spain is a very important ally of the United States. I find it curious that the Spanish public does not believe that it occupies an important place in the EU and in the world. Even Bush, in his disagreement with Rodríguez Zapatero, was very concerned about the tension that arose. Bilateral relations are not just president to president. There are state and non-state actors that play an important role in strengthening these relations (businessmen, diplomats, journalists, NGOs, academic institutions). The realities of US-Spain bilateral relations are more important than the details.

What do you think of the current situation in the world, with its social explosion and enduring conflicts? Are we talking about the froth of time as opposed to reality?

The "realist theory" in international relations argues that the world is dangerous and that each country, in its balance of power, must defend its own interests; "institutionalism theory" proposes the defence of a society based on its formal and informal institutions; and "idealism" is a current that recognises the idiosyncrasies of each country, but advocates cooperation between states to promote peace through diplomacy. On this basis, world leaders must risk dialogue; we are a community in an interconnected world; we cannot live in permanent conflict, as is happening now.

Could there be a parallel between the sovereignty of Western Sahara and the independence of Catalonia? 

A very interesting question on your part, although they are different issues. 

Self-determination of territories is a more common issue than we think. Legal experts consulted allude to the fact that an endorsed referendum, in the case of Catalonia, requires changes to the Spanish Constitution. Just as I believe that this would not be so serious, although it would entail risks and difficulties, I also believe that Catalonia's campaign to influence public opinion abroad, based on the existence of a supposedly "repressive, undemocratic and anti-human rights Spain", is a real atrocity; this is why dialogue is important. 

Could you give an assessment of the new legislature that awaits Pedro Sánchez?

I always envisaged that, despite the consternation of some past socialist leaders and Núñez Feijoó's voters, the amnesty was likely to be tolerated, in order to avoid the unthinkable: a central government led by a PP-Vox coalition. 

It remains to be seen how far Pedro Sánchez can or will go and whether it is worth it, in its entirety, not only the Amnesty Law, but also self-determination. It is not clear to me that he will maintain his demand for a referendum on Catalan independence.

Is it possible that a country like the United States can find a better presidential candidate than Biden and Trump?

This is the question I am asked most often as the Primary season for the 2024 US presidential election approaches and a second round between Biden and Trump seems more and more inevitable. But that is not the question to ask. There is no shortage of politicians in the United States who aspire to be president: Democrats, Republicans and independents. But, I repeat, it is not that there are no qualified (or unqualified) candidates willing to step up to the plate. It is more pertinent to ask why these two men are assured of the nomination in their respective parties.