Youssef Amrani: Morocco is building its network of influence in Washington

In Washington, it's all about connections. And Youssef Amrani understands this. Since taking office at the end of 2023, the Moroccan ambassador has been patiently building his network of influence, between social gatherings and strategic circles. A discreet, but decisive, game for Rabat.

The Patient Diplomat

A profile of a political technocrat

Amrani is no novice. A veteran of Moroccan diplomacy, he has already worked in Brussels, Pretoria, and the African Union. In Washington, he advances in disguise, preferring patience to grandstanding.

A simple method: be everywhere

Official receptions, think tanks, universities, NGOs... The ambassador makes numerous appearances. Always at the right table, never far from the right people. Washington adores these reassuring, "reliable"... and available figures.

Useful alliances

Sensitive American relays in the Sahara

In Congress, some elected officials are already openly displaying closeness to Rabat. The cause? The burning issue of Western Sahara. Amrani is cultivating this support through briefings, invitations, and veiled promises.

The circle of think tanks

Brookings, Atlantic Council, CSIS… The ambassador invites himself into these temples of strategic thinking. The goal: to position Morocco as a "key" player in North Africa. A narrative rehearsed, refined, and sold.

Diplomatic cynicism

Everyone gets something out of it

Americans like stable partners. Morocco sells this image. Washington buys it. Behind the scenes, everyone knows that the deal is more pragmatic than romantic.

Influence network or address book?

Rabat speaks of active diplomacy. Cynics see it mostly as an accumulation of friendships of convenience. Amrani's network of influence may be nothing more than a gilded directory. But in the American capital, that's often enough.

In one year, Youssef Amrani has cast his net in Washington. Neither flamboyant nor invisible, he plays the card of quiet influence. Morocco, for its part, is capitalizing. Behind the scenes, everyone knows: a network of influence, even fragile, is sometimes worth more than a speech at the UN.