Maghreb integration remains stalled at significant economic and security cost, according to a new study by Idriss Lagrini, director of the Laboratory for Constitutional Studies and Crisis Analysis at Cadi Ayyad University.
In the paper, published by the Trends Research and Advisory Center, Lagrini argues that the paralysis of the Arab Maghreb Union (AMU) continues to generate “economic losses” tied to the absence of trade cooperation among member states. He also points to the expansion of terrorist groups, increased irregular migration flows near the region and growing international competition over its natural resources.
Lagrini notes that the deadlock has weakened the Maghreb’s bargaining position with the European Union on key economic, security and political files. He adds that instability in parts of the Sahel further complicates the region’s strategic environment.
The researcher warns that major global realignments, including intensified geopolitical competition and the emergence of new alliances,require Maghreb countries to “act collectively and cautiously.” He argues that the region’s disunity has left it vulnerable during several historical turning points, from the post–Cold War era to the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks and the Arab Spring.
Lagrini draws a contrast with the European Union, where countries with deep linguistic, cultural and historical divisions built a successful integration model despite a long history of conflict.
Reviewing the 1989 Marrakech Treaty that established the AMU, he notes that the idea of Maghreb unity advanced during a period of reconciliation between Morocco and Algeria and improved ties between Tunisia and Libya. But unlike Europe, he says, the Maghreb failed to translate those political openings into sustained institutional progress.
“For more than three decades, populations in the region have lived with ongoing political disputes fueled by media rhetoric and uncalculated political posturing,” he writes, arguing that this dynamic has repeatedly postponed the “Maghreb dream.”
Lagrini also identifies public discourse on social media as a growing obstacle, saying that some influencers, often lacking political or cultural literacy, contribute to “superficiality, misinformation, sensationalism and sometimes incitement to hatred.”
He cautions that promoting populist voices while sidelining more thoughtful actors risks eroding social safeguards and passing “hostility and resentment” to future generations.
The researcher attributes part of the current situation to the “silence of intellectuals and political actors,” arguing that their disengagement has created a vacuum filled by divisive rhetoric. He calls for renewed civic debate to highlight the costs of maintaining the status quo and to advance a shared Maghreb vision capable of giving the region a stronger place on the global stage.
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