{"id":3101,"date":"2025-08-06T17:22:08","date_gmt":"2025-08-06T17:22:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/?p=3101"},"modified":"2025-08-06T17:22:08","modified_gmt":"2025-08-06T17:22:08","slug":"the-man-of-the-gray-zone-a-reading-of-reda-addams-article-on-the-rise-of-the-akhannouch-system","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/the-man-of-the-gray-zone-a-reading-of-reda-addams-article-on-the-rise-of-the-akhannouch-system\/","title":{"rendered":"The Man of the Gray Zone: A Reading of Reda Addam&#8217;s Article on the Rise of the Akhannouch System"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"6305\" data-end=\"6805\">On August 5, 2025, Moroccan journalist and political analyst Reda Addam published a striking article on his official page titled <em data-start=\"6434\" data-end=\"6473\">\u201cAkhannouch\u2026 The Shadow Man Unveiled\u201d<\/em>, offering a bold and in-depth political analysis of the transformations that have shaped Morocco\u2019s economic and political power structure over the past decade. He focuses in particular on the rise of businessman and current Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch to a central position within what the author calls the \u201csupra-state system.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"6807\" data-end=\"7154\">This article is not a fleeting opinion but resembles \u2013 in both language and structure \u2013 a draft for a deep political investigation. It is based on the intersection of open-source data, international media reports, and keen political observations about the \u201ctug-of-war between state logic and market logic\u201d in shaping Morocco\u2019s political decisions.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"x1ejq31n x18oe1m7 x1sy0etr xstzfhl x6ikm8r x10wlt62\" src=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fpermalink.php%3Fstory_fbid%3Dpfbid024QWoBaziVsbyudHY5mDYtQYTfD53ZGGu8L88A6kSCJcXccs1Ni7HUVZgtBoYmyGdl%26id%3D61578078883683&amp;show_text=true&amp;width=500\" width=\"500\" height=\"469\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"7156\" data-end=\"7446\">In this analysis, we attempt to unpack some of the major theses presented by Reda Addam \u2013 not to endorse or reject them, but to better understand the context in which they emerged and the serious questions they raise about the future relationship between power, money, and the constitution.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"7448\" data-end=\"7965\"><strong data-start=\"7448\" data-end=\"7498\">1. Akhannouch as a \u201cMan of the Parallel State\u201d<\/strong><br data-start=\"7498\" data-end=\"7501\" \/>One of the article\u2019s most significant claims is Reda Addam\u2019s description of Akhannouch as a \u201cman of the system,\u201d not just a prime minister. According to Addam, he is a central figure in a new power structure that exceeds his executive role and acts as a \u201ctransnational influence broker,\u201d leveraging his wealth, network of interests, and political adaptability to position himself at the heart of the state without bearing its institutional or accountability costs.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"7967\" data-end=\"8226\">This reading aligns with international reports \u2013 such as in <em data-start=\"8027\" data-end=\"8036\">El Pa\u00eds<\/em> \u2013 that describe Akhannouch\u2019s growing control over energy strategies, economic relations with Africa, and even Russian gas flows through Morocco, in an increasingly sensitive global context.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"8228\" data-end=\"8546\"><strong data-start=\"8228\" data-end=\"8289\">2. Is power still governed by government\u2026 or by business?<\/strong><br data-start=\"8289\" data-end=\"8292\" \/>The article raises a fundamental question: can we still speak of \u201cpolitical authority\u201d rooted in institutions, parliament, and public programs, or has influence effectively shifted to large economic groups that face no accountability or real competition?<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"8548\" data-end=\"8599\">Reda identifies several indicators of this shift:<\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"8600\" data-end=\"8837\">\n<li data-start=\"8600\" data-end=\"8659\">\n<p data-start=\"8602\" data-end=\"8659\">The real decision-makers in ministries have disappeared<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"8660\" data-end=\"8721\">\n<p data-start=\"8662\" data-end=\"8721\">A network of \u201crentier technocrats\u201d controls key positions<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"8722\" data-end=\"8776\">\n<p data-start=\"8724\" data-end=\"8776\">The press is weakened through funding and pressure<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"8777\" data-end=\"8837\">\n<p data-start=\"8779\" data-end=\"8837\">Culture and art are controlled through selective financing<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"8839\" data-end=\"9295\"><strong data-start=\"8839\" data-end=\"8890\">3. From Samir to Total Mauritania: What\u2019s next?<\/strong><br data-start=\"8890\" data-end=\"8893\" \/>In a revealing point, Reda draws a link between the dismantling of Samir \u2013 the last attempt at national energy sovereignty \u2013 and the acquisition of foreign oil assets such as Total\u2019s subsidiaries in Mauritania by Moroccan actors. He questions whether institutional influence is being used for regional economic expansion that may benefit the state in the short term but weaken domestic competitiveness.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"9297\" data-end=\"9344\">These comparisons raise legitimate questions:<\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"9345\" data-end=\"9497\">\n<li data-start=\"9345\" data-end=\"9423\">\n<p data-start=\"9347\" data-end=\"9423\">Was the state\u2019s withdrawal from strategic sectors a choice or a necessity?<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"9424\" data-end=\"9497\">\n<p data-start=\"9426\" data-end=\"9497\">Is the private sector becoming a parallel state as institutions weaken?<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"9499\" data-end=\"9849\"><strong data-start=\"9499\" data-end=\"9558\">4. Elections as Tools of Legitimacy, Not Accountability<\/strong><br data-start=\"9558\" data-end=\"9561\" \/>Perhaps the most troubling part of the article is the description of Moroccan elections as a mechanism for recycling the same elites through a system of \u201cregulated electoral rent,\u201d built on money, loyalty-buying, and media campaign funding \u2013 in the absence of real political alternatives.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"9851\" data-end=\"9954\">Reda links this state of affairs to a process of \u201creshaping collective awareness\u201d through soft tools:<\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"9955\" data-end=\"10081\">\n<li data-start=\"9955\" data-end=\"9975\">\n<p data-start=\"9957\" data-end=\"9975\">Cultural funding<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"9976\" data-end=\"10004\">\n<p data-start=\"9978\" data-end=\"10004\">Journalistic constraints<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"10005\" data-end=\"10029\">\n<p data-start=\"10007\" data-end=\"10029\">Control of education<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"10030\" data-end=\"10081\">\n<p data-start=\"10032\" data-end=\"10081\">Entertainment media used to defuse, not challenge<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"10083\" data-end=\"10420\"><strong data-start=\"10083\" data-end=\"10115\">5. Where Do We Go from Here?<\/strong><br data-start=\"10115\" data-end=\"10118\" \/>The article ends with a fundamental question: are we facing a crisis of individuals or a systemic crisis? Even if the current prime minister were dismissed, the same economic, political, and social structure would continue reproducing itself unless there is a real shift in the logic of state-building.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"10422\" data-end=\"10486\">Reda Addam doesn\u2019t call for rupture, but for a radical reform:<\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"10487\" data-end=\"10672\">\n<li data-start=\"10487\" data-end=\"10515\">\n<p data-start=\"10489\" data-end=\"10515\">Restoring accountability<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"10516\" data-end=\"10552\">\n<p data-start=\"10518\" data-end=\"10552\">Reviving institutional mediation<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"10553\" data-end=\"10605\">\n<p data-start=\"10555\" data-end=\"10605\">Separating financial power from public decisions<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"10606\" data-end=\"10672\">\n<p data-start=\"10608\" data-end=\"10672\">Reassessing the relationship between technocracy and sovereignty<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"10674\" data-end=\"11092\"><strong data-start=\"10674\" data-end=\"10751\">Conclusion: When a Journalist Writes in the Language of the Counter-Power<\/strong><br data-start=\"10751\" data-end=\"10754\" \/>Reda Addam\u2019s piece cannot be reduced to a Facebook opinion. It stands as a rare model of internal political analysis in an Arab context often dominated by either appeasing or populist discourse. From our position at <em data-start=\"10970\" data-end=\"10983\">Maghreb Now<\/em>, we consider this kind of commentary \u2013 even if controversial \u2013 a vital part of the legitimate public debate.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"11094\" data-end=\"11322\">We affirm that the views expressed in this analysis reflect the original author\u2019s perspective, and we welcome any responses or clarifications from concerned parties \u2013 in full respect for freedom of expression and media fairness.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"11324\" data-end=\"11455\">Until more responsible debate emerges, we ask again:<strong data-start=\"11379\" data-end=\"11455\">Can democracy be built without freeing the state from the grip of money?<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On August 5, 2025, Moroccan journalist and political analyst Reda Addam published a striking article on his official page titled \u201cAkhannouch\u2026 The Shadow Man Unveiled\u201d, offering a bold and in-depth political analysis of the transformations that have shaped Morocco\u2019s economic and political power structure over the past decade. He focuses in particular on the rise [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3102,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39,76],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-3101","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-africa","8":"category-the-maghreb"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3101","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3101"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3101\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3103,"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3101\/revisions\/3103"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3102"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3101"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3101"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3101"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}