{"id":7361,"date":"2026-06-12T08:10:40","date_gmt":"2026-06-12T08:10:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/middleeastandnorthafricablog\/?p=7361"},"modified":"2026-06-12T08:10:40","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T08:10:40","slug":"conflicts-over-moroccos-sovereignty-over-ceuta-and-melilla","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/middleeastandnorthafricablog\/2026\/06\/12\/conflicts-over-moroccos-sovereignty-over-ceuta-and-melilla\/","title":{"rendered":"Conflicts over Morocco’s Sovereignty over Ceuta and Melilla"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Article: https:\/\/en.hespress.com\/134143-moroccos-sovereignty-over-ceuta-and-melilla-is-not-open-to-foreign-interference.html<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The article discusses recent comments made by American researcher Michael Rubin regarding the disputed cities of Ceuta and Melilla. Rubin suggested the idea of a \u201csecond Green March\u201d toward the two Spanish-controlled cities, referring to the 1975 Green March that helped strengthen Morocco\u2019s claim over Western Sahara. His comments were criticized by Moroccan activist Yahya Yahya, who argued that the issue should remain under Moroccan control and not be influenced by foreign actors. According to Yahya, the connection between Ceuta, Melilla, and Morocco can be seen through shared religious and cultural traditions. He pointed to Ramadan and Eid Al Fitr celebrations as examples of the strong ties between the cities and the rest of Morocco. The article also explains that Moroccan civil society groups support Spain\u2019s withdrawal from Ceuta, Melilla, and nearby islands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A major issue discussed in the article is the importance of sovereignty and national identity. While Ceuta and Melilla are currently controlled by Spain, many Moroccans still consider them part of Morocco. The reaction to Rubin\u2019s comments shows that even when foreign stakeholders seem to support Morocco\u2019s position, their involvement is still be seen as interference. This suggests that territorial disputes are about more than just land and borders. They are also connected to history, culture, and national identity. In addition, the article shows how cultural and religious traditions can be used to strengthen a nations claim to a territory and reinforce a sense of nationalism among its people.

There are several ways the groups involved could respond to this issue. Morocco could continue using diplomacy to raise the issue of Ceuta and Melilla while avoiding actions that increase tensions with Spain. Spain will likely continue defending its control over the cities and maintain that they are part of Spanish territory. Moroccan activists may continue campaigns that promote Morocco\u2019s claim and raise public awareness about the issue. Foreign researchers and think tanks could contribute by providing balanced analysis instead of proposing actions that may be viewed as outside interference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article connects to several topics discussed in IB Global Politics, especially sovereignty and legitimacy. One idea discussed in class is that states should have control over their own political issues without outside interference. The criticism of Rubin\u2019s comments reflects this idea because many Moroccans believe the future of Ceuta and Melilla should be decided by Moroccans. The article also relates to nationalism because both Morocco and Spain connect the cities to their history and national identity. This shows how historical events can continue to affect modern politics and relationships between countries. It also demonstrates how territorial disputes often involve questions of identity as well as control over land.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Article: https:\/\/en.hespress.com\/134143-moroccos-sovereignty-over-ceuta-and-melilla-is-not-open-to-foreign-interference.html The article discusses recent comments made by American researcher Michael Rubin regarding the disputed cities of Ceuta and Melilla. Rubin suggested the idea of a \u201csecond Green March\u201d toward the two Spanish-controlled cities, referring to the 1975 Green March that helped strengthen Morocco\u2019s claim over Western Sahara. His comments were criticized by Moroccan activist Yahya Yahya, who argued… Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":313,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7361","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/middleeastandnorthafricablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7361","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/middleeastandnorthafricablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/middleeastandnorthafricablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/middleeastandnorthafricablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/313"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/middleeastandnorthafricablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7361"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/middleeastandnorthafricablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7361\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7363,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/middleeastandnorthafricablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7361\/revisions\/7363"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/middleeastandnorthafricablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7361"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/middleeastandnorthafricablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7361"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/middleeastandnorthafricablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7361"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}