A political climate that is founded on a simple idea is spreading in our region: stability begins from within, and that development is the foundation of legitimacy. This political wave does not raise grand ideological slogans or promise radical shifts in the balance of power through constant violent confrontations. Instead, it is redefining politics as a tool for governance and the common good.
Moroccan King Mohammed VI’s recent speech Throne Day is one example. Stretching a hand is a policy that the king reaffirmed, making a positive gesture to Algeria that echoed the “AlUla Reconciliation” of January 2021 that ended the Gulf crisis with Qatar and the Saudi-Iranian agreement brokered by China in March 2023. This posture’s credibility and strategic depth is reinforced by Morocco’s pursuit of ambitious projects for regional cooperation; co-hosting the 2030 World Cup with Spain and Portugal is one example. In choosing cooperation despite its disputes with Spain, Morocco is prioritizing the enhancement of its position in the southern Mediterranean over the identitarian politics and incitement.
The Throne Day speech’s emphasis on national infrastructure development, economic diversification, regional integration projects, and environmental, climate, and renewable energy is fully aligned with the Arab countries embrace of political rationality in a region exhausted by grand ideologies and ideological slogans divorced from the real challenges facing the Arab individual.
An Arab trajectory is taking root at a tense moment for the region. This push is clearly seeking to redefine politics not merely in terms of power structures, but through tools, humanistic projects, and needs.
The significance of these emerging inclinations, which are increasingly supported by the public, lies in the fact that they come after two bitter decades. The first was shaped by the US war on terror and its attempts to impose democratization by force. The second was shaped by the years of the “Arab Spring,” which led to a devastating collapse of nation-states’ foundations. In contrast, this emerging political project promises a form of practical stability and policies that further the public benefit, bridging interests, and pragmatically negotiate the replacement of slogans that bring chaotic democratic change.
Moreover, the states pushing this Arab rationalist current are asserting their regional and international influence through balanced and credible performance, without relying on ideological alliances or rhetorical posturing. From Morocco, which has become an energy and trade hub linking Europe and Africa, to the Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar mediating the resolution of complex global crises like the war in Ukraine and the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, to their strategic positioning in the Chinese-American cold war, these states have risen to become rational actors capable of impartial mediation.
This mediating role took on new dimensions after the “Al-Aqsa Flood” on October 7, 2023, and the ensuing multi-front war that culminated in an unprecedented clash between Iran and Israel. Several Arab capitals swiftly sought to contain the explosion and prevent an all-out war, leveraging their balanced relationships with the conflicting parties. Most importantly, led by Saudi Arabia, they reintroduced rationality into the Palestinian question through the international conference for implementing the two-state solution at the United Nations in New York, framing it as an issue that needs a pragmatic political settlement and paving the way for its liberation from slogans and one-upmanship.
This “neo-rationality” has three main frameworks for asserting itself: tangible, measurable achievements (infrastructure, energy, tourism, etc.); flexible diplomatic openness that prioritizes managing disputes over escalation, and rhetoric that distances states from ideological tones.
And because it does not often speak for itself, it becomes all the more important to highlight Morocco’s recent Throne Day speech, alongside similar Arab speeches. This is necessary for shaping the political and media agenda, which remains hostage to recycled narratives that obscure these significant regional shifts. The speech did not only address the Moroccan public; it also spoke to an Arab world aspiring to a “post-conflict” world, without denying or disavowing historical issues.
It is no secret that the region is undergoing a rapid shift in expectations, especially among youth. Interest in slogans and identity-based conflicts is declining amid a growing demand for services, opportunities, administrative efficiency, and governance. This shift is redefining the relationship between the state and society that goes beyond the binary of “loyalty or rupture.”
Moreover, the political appeal of “ideological radicalism,” whether religious or nationalist, is in decline, even among its traditional base. This is due to the accumulated failures of these projects, which have not managed to govern societies or offer realistic solutions. From Morocco to the UAE, and from Saudi Arabia to Egypt and Jordan, a map of a more self-assured Arab political rationality is taking shape. It reflects a strong convergence of priorities without erasing the particularities of each state united by this sharp awareness that performance is the foundation of political legitimacy and social stability.
