Survey: Despite Ukraine War, 37% of Moroccans Want To Keep Ties With Russia

Rabat – 37% of Moroccans are in favor of keeping economic ties with Russia while only 14% want to cut ties with the country, the latest Democracy Perception Index reported on Monday.

Of the 758 Moroccans surveyed for “the world’s largest annual study on democracy,” the report found that 30% held positive views about Russia, marking a close tie with the other 26% that had a negative perception of the European country.

Released amid the war in Ukraine, the Democracy Perception Index focused this year on the global opinion about the ongoing war as well as the general perception of the US, EU, China, Russia, and NATO amid global crises that are considered to impact the general decline in democracy around the world.

Since the Russian attack on Ukraine in late February, a united Western front has taken measures over the past months to cripple the Russian economy and help Ukraine in its efforts to fend off Russian troops. Still, 46% of the total respondents said that the European Union, the United States, and NATO are doing “too little” to assist Ukraine.

Surveying over 50,000 individuals from 53 countries, the poll showed a global tendency in favorable public opinion for the US and EU compared to a “far more negative than positive” perception of Russia and its ally China which is raising concerns about the potential invasion of Taiwan.

The majority of respondents in 31 out of 52 countries were in favor of cutting economic ties with Russia, with many calling for putting more pressure on the country to end its war on Ukraine.

Moroccan stance on the war in Ukraine

Since Morocco belongs to the remaining 21 countries that want to maintain relations with Russia, the North African country might be misunderstood as holding positive perceptions of Russia not only as a country and a partner but also an “invader” of Ukraine. This stance is reflected in the Guardian’s coverage of the index.

“Negative views of Russia are largely confined to Europe and other liberal democracies. Positive views of Russia have been retained in China, Indonesia, Egypt, Vietnam, Algeria, Morocco, Malaysia, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia,” the British newspaper wrote on Monday.

The Guardian’s wording and choice of Morocco over Moroccans presents the opinion of less than 800 individuals as the official stance of the country. Throughout the Ukraine war, the Moroccan government has repeatedly called for peaceful negotiation and immediate de-escalation of the crisis.

Morocco’s sense of “neutrality” in this war reflects the country’s adoption of a non-aligned stance despite rising European condemnation and sanctions against Russia. As some observers have documented, this choice of neutrality is part of a global trend – led by China – of third-world countries navigating their national interests in the face of a new iteration of the Cold War.

Wanting to keep good diplomatic and economic relations with Ukraine and Russia, Morocco appears to be prioritizing its own interests – food security and stability – while calling for an end to a war that has caused untold devastation in Ukraine and has heavily impacted the global markets of wheat, oil, gas, gold, and semiconductors.

Intentionally or not, the Guardian’s report portrays Morocco as a supporter of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. A war that is considered a major threat to democracy and freedom that “we can no longer take for granted,” said Nico Jaspers, CEO of Latana, co-creator of the index.

The British newspaper’s framing also ignores other statistics mentioned in the same index that confirm Moroccans’ favorable perception of the US and the EU. In particular, the index indicated that 41% of Moroccan interviewees called on the US, EU, and NATO to provide more support to Ukraine, arguing that the assistance the war-stricken country has so far received is “too little.”

Moroccan democracy

Besides sharing opinions about Russia and the West, the surveyed Moroccans stressed the importance of democracy (82%), freedom of speech (59%), and the positive role of social media in promoting democracy in their country (68%).

They further called the Moroccan government to prioritize education and health care as well as fight poverty and corruption.

Despite the government’s efforts to address climate change and promote gender equality, the surveyed Moroccans paid little importance to the two issues as they placed them at the bottom of requested government priorities.

More than 40% of the surveyed Moroccans considered poverty and hunger as the top global challenges, ahead of war, violent conflict, and global pandemics.