WASHINGTON(September 14, 2023) – Close to 3,000 people have died, and over 5,000 were injured during an earthquake that devasted Morocco last week. Rescue teams from Britain, Spain and Qatar are on the ground in Morocco. Efforts to rescue survivors continue, however Morocco has been “reluctant” to accept foreign aid.
For more context, please consider Ambassador (ret) Gordon Gray, Kuwait Professor of Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Affairs at the George Washington University. Prior to joining the Elliott School of International Affairs, Gray served in the U.S. government for 35 years. From 2005-2008, Gray was Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs where he was responsible for promoting U.S. interests in the Arabian Peninsula and North Africa. Prior to that, he served as Deputy Chief of Mission and volunteered with the Peace Corps in Morocco, along with other a variety of other countries.
On Morocco’s response to natural disaster, Gray says, “The earthquake exposed the weakness of Morocco's overly-centralized decision-making system and highlighted the drastic disparities between the country's urban and rural areas.”
If you would like to speak with Ambassador (ret) Gordan Gray, please contact Media Relations Specialist Shannon Mitchell at [email protected].
-GW-