Diplomacy Aspects of the Rif Liberation Movement Leader Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Karīm al-Khaṭṭābī

Abstract

This paper looks at the diplomatic practices of Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Karīm al-Khaṭṭābī, leader of the Rif Liberation movement, and how they contributed to the success of his liberation movement. It does so by examining his victory accounts and his ability to connect with global public opinion, which turned him into an international liberation symbol. Al-Khaṭṭābī wasn't like any other tribal leader engaged in Moroccan resistance movements, and was primarily a statesman with experience and an understanding that diplomacy needs to run in parallel with military action. Al-Khaṭṭābī increased communication with many international figures, and was known to have contacted governmental and non-governmental organizations, as well as European political parties, especially leftist ones, informing them of the war on the ground in an attempt to gain their sympathy and support. Fully aware of the major role played by media in the diplomatic process and its ability to reach wider audiences, Al-Khaṭṭābī exerted major efforts in befriending Western media circles to clarify the fight waged by the the people of the Moroccan Rif, and to show that it was principally a liberation movement against colonization. To a large degree, Al-Khaṭṭābī succeeded in rectifying the image portrayed by Spanish and French colonial authorities and their propaganda machine.