Morocco has a special relationship with the United States of America, and vice versa.

Back in 1786, the two nations agreed to a Treaty that still stands as the longest unbroken treaty relationship in U.S. history. Tangier, one of the major cities in Morocco, is home to the oldest U.S. diplomatic property in the world.  It is the only building outside of the U.S. that has been declared a National Historic Landmark.

Morocco has been very helpful in the fight against terrorism, with its zero-tolerance policy towards Al-Qaeda and their affiliated groups. It has assisted the CIA in interrogating terrorist members captured in the Afghanistan and Middle East battle grounds.  It has provided and continues to provide airfields for the US Air Force to refuel and deploy for its missions in the middle east and other hot spots.

It is one of the few African and Arab countries where no visa is required for US citizens traveling to the country.

This history is amazing, when you consider the important geo political location that Morocco holds in the African and Arab world. And doubly amazing when you consider that 99% of the citizens of the country are of the Islamic faith.

During our trip we have never once felt any concern whatsoever for our safety. Nor have we experienced anything that even hints at anti American feelings.

Bottom line, this is a country which for many reasons we want to continue to nurture and maintain excellent relations with.

So, why?   Why did it take President Trump 11 months to nominate someone to fill the role of US Ambassador to Morocco?  Just two days ago, Michigan based businessman David Fischer was nominated by President Trump to be the next US Ambassador to Morocco.

I have no idea, but what I do know is that it is a source of some concern by Moroccans. They view it as a slap in the face, as an indication that Morocco is not important to the President and in turn the United States.  It is a sign of disrespect to them.

It has been 11 months since the President took office. What possible reasons can there be for why during that period of time, the President and his team could not identify an outstanding American to be proposed to the US Senate to be the next Ambassador to one of our great allies?  I do not know.

To be even handed about this, the President did receive the new Ambassador from Morocco to the United States back in April.  In addition, I did some homework and discovered that Morocco is not alone. There are numerous countries that are in the same situation – i.e., no person has been nominated to serve as Ambassador by the current administration.  And clearly, the administration has been facing many other issues and other higher priorities.

But, you would think that somehow, during the last 11 months that someone could have sourced good candidates and vetted them, so that a quality recommendation could be made to the US Senate for confirmation.  The good news is that as of two days ago, that has happened.

Rumors that the President knew that I was about to write this blog and therefore acted are not, to the best of my knowledge, true.