As relations between Washington and Madrid are tending, Rabat discreetly strengthens its strategic partnership with the United States.
The open crisis between Donald Trump and Pedro Sánchez on NATO military spending benefits directly in Morocco. While Madrid categorically refuses to carry its defense budget beyond 2.1% of GDP, far from the 5% claimed by Washington, Rabat discreetly consolidates its status as a privileged partner of the United States.
A paid Moroccan strategy
This rise in power is not the fruit of chance. Since the American recognition of Moroccan sovereignty on Western Sahara in December 2020, the kingdom has multiplied the gestures of allegiance: normalization with Israel, acquisition of $ 13 billion in American armaments between 2018 and 2023, reinforced participation in military “African Lion” military exercises.
Faced with a Spain deemed “unreliable” by Washington since the withdrawal of Afghanistan, Morocco now embodies regional stability. Trump, who no longer hesitates to threaten Madrid with commercial sanctions, sees Mohammed VI a malleable ally, aligned with American priorities: fight against terrorism, Iranian deterrence, normalization with Israel.
Marginalized Spain
This paid strategy could even lead to a partial transfer of American logistics functions from Spain to Morocco. If Moroccan infrastructure does not yet compete with the bases of Rota or Morón, the political signal is clear: Rabat aspires to become the privileged interlocutor of Washington in the Mediterranean.
Spain of Sánchez, diplomatically isolated, helplessly attends this redistribution of cards. Its historical alliances and its European anchoring no longer compensate for a strategic vision deficit in the face of Moroccan patience.
In this new Mediterranean game, the Cherifian kingdom methodically advances its pawns. And mark decisive points.
