French Historian Bernard Logan: “Paris Still Pulls the Strings at the Alawite Palace”

✏️ BY: Dr. Hana Saada

Algiers, Algeria | August 28th, 2024 — In an in-depth analysis, French historian Bernard Logan has drawn compelling and controversial parallels between France’s historical colonization of Algeria and its ongoing influence over Morocco. Logan, known for his critical perspectives on French foreign policy, asserts that despite Morocco’s formal independence in 1956, the Kingdom remains significantly under the sway of Paris. He suggests that Morocco operates as a de facto French protectorate, reflecting a continuation of colonial-era dynamics within what French administrators term the “Overseas Territories.”

Historical Context and Analysis

In his recent article published in “Le 360” on August 27, 2022—a publication managed by Mounir Majidi, the private secretary to Moroccan King Mohammed VI—Logan offers a detailed comparison between the French colonial strategies in Algeria and Morocco. He argues that while Algeria was subjected to overtly harsh colonial policies aimed at erasing its national and religious identity, Morocco experienced a subtler form of control. Logan’s analysis underscores that the mechanisms of influence wielded by France over Morocco have remained remarkably consistent since the colonial period.

Colonial Administration and Its Legacy

Logan’s critique highlights the differences between the French approach to Algeria and Morocco. During the colonial period, Algeria was integrated as part of France itself, divided into three provinces and subjected to extreme centralization and repression. After France’s military defeat by Prussia in 1870, Algeria came under a civilian republican regime characterized by a strict centralization and contempt for the indigenous population. The regime’s secularism further alienated the Muslim population, contributing to a profound societal impact.

Logan details how the French administration’s policies, including the Native Code of 1881, institutionalized discrimination against Algerians, relegating them to a lower status compared to French and Jewish citizens. The August 26, 1881, decree that established the “annexation” system effectively stripped the Governor-General of his powers, placing Algeria’s administrative functions directly under Parisian ministries. This system of control was officially denounced and partially abolished by December 31, 1896.

In contrast, the French administration in Morocco under Marshal Hubert Lyautey, who governed from 1912, maintained a façade of respect for Moroccan institutions and authorities. Lyautey’s self-described role as “the first servant of the Sultan” was a strategic presentation designed to mask the underlying control exercised by the French. The Kingdom of Morocco, although outwardly autonomous, was managed through a network of influence that kept it closely aligned with French interests.

Contemporary Implications

Logan’s analysis extends to contemporary implications, asserting that the political dynamics in Morocco today are an extension of this colonial legacy. He notes that King Mohammed VI, who holds French citizenship and frequently resides in France, is emblematic of the ongoing French influence over Moroccan affairs. Despite Morocco’s formal independence, the country’s governance continues to be influenced by Paris, with significant decisions orchestrated from the French capital.

The historian contends that the French colonial strategy in Morocco was designed to create a semblance of Moroccan sovereignty while ensuring French control remained intact. This approach, according to Logan, has enabled France to maintain a substantial degree of influence over Morocco long after the official end of the protectorate.

Bernard Logan’s critique challenges the prevailing narrative of Moroccan independence, arguing that the Kingdom remains a “backyard” of French interests.

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