Prof. Banu Eligür

Başkent University, Ankara-Turkey

Bio

Banu Eligür is Director of the EU and International Relations Institute and Full Professor in Political Science and International Relations Department at Başkent University, Ankara, Turkey. Eligür received her Ph.D. in Political Science from Brandeis University. Her articles have appeared in Journal of the Middle East and Africa, British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies, Israel Affairs, Middle Eastern Studies, and Turkish Studies. Eligür is the recipient of the inaugural Bernard Lewis Memorial Prize in 2018.

Moroccan and Israeli Normalization: The Role of Soft Power in Morocco’s Elite-Driven Foreign Policy

Abstract

This paper examines Morocco’s normalization of relations with Israel through the Abraham Accords and the use of cultural diplomacy and socioeconomic development as soft-power legitimization mechanisms. It argues that Morocco pursued normalization primarily to secure U.S. recognition of its sovereignty over Western Sahara, strengthen military and intelligence ties with Israel, and promote socioeconomic development. Despite declining popular support, Moroccan-Israeli ties have remained resilient due to elite-driven foreign policy under competitive authoritarianism, combining soft-power and coercive mechanisms.