The Zellig of the Strait

A Moroccan master craftsman does not begin his work like a classical sculptor with a homogeneous block of marble, but rather with hundreds of individual pieces, each with its own specific shape, color, and function. If a single piece is placed incorrectly, or if the pressure applied during assembly is not just right, the entire structure risks fracturing. Not to mention the specific pattern of each portion of the design—stars, sequences of words, and phrases—all mathematically spaced and joined with millimeter precision. The Strait of Gibraltar today more than ever needs that master artisan. Its interregional 'mosaic' spanning Spain, Morocco, Portugal, and Gibraltar is shaped by alliances among them and with staunch internationalist actors committed to other stakeholders, within the complexity of the great modern civilizations. Just as in 'zellige,' where each tile is necessary to support the next, Moroccan foreign policy depends on absolute interdependence: weakening a single link could bring down the social security of the region, as was already demonstrated in August 2026, as well as Morocco's own internal security, since its political stability is proven—but only within the framework of strategic interdependencies with its traditional allies. To our artisan's further misfortune, the 'mosaic doctrine'—centered on fragmentation and symmetrical art—can attract the attention of enemies and, beware, of allies as well, who seek precisely to exploit the structural gaps that could bring down the state through its 'weakest' piece. Faced with this, he has had to transform his own strategy toward 'geometric resilience': dispersing infrastructure, diversifying social media systems, and using his 'soft power' as an influencer as a global shield against attacks—including those from unidentified hackers. The fantasy of the Spanish ministers is woven into statements that exonerate Morocco and point the finger at a Far-Right International, at Russia as well, and at who knows who else… It's all so unsettling behind the fog of social media and the mysterious Jabaroot… It's all a show in Spain at a time when, legally speaking, the capital's government is mired in suspicion and legal scandals, beyond a reasonable doubt, straddling the line between mismanagement and bad faith. The complexity lies not only in maintaining balance, but in the precision with which the pieces are cut. Just as in Andalusian art, where the cutter must have a steady hand so that the pattern fits together without visible seams, Moroccan diplomats must weigh every statement and every maneuver. A miscalculation, an overly aggressive stance toward Europe, or a hasty retreat from their commitments to the people could destabilize the pattern. The elections are just around the corner. Rabat has invested in institutional, tourism, cultural, business, and arts promotion, but now also in journalistic narratives, bolstering digital media coverage to paint a picture of a safe shopping district, a high-quality tourist destination, and the controlled security of an emerging social peace. The time has come for the battle over unilateral diplomatic positioning—or to be crushed by a serious miscalculation. Ceuta, Melilla, Gibraltar, and other medieval enclaves—just as was the case with Andorra, Hong Kong, or Singapore—must establish a special socioeconomic status that fosters their continued existence or total independence, based exclusively on socioeconomic indicators. Yes, in this paragraph we are proposing these regions as engines of independence and examples of special economic zones for regional development, taking advantage of their unique location between two or more civilizations potentially enriched by history and multilateral relations. Too many territories in the modern world remain embroiled in territorial disputes even today, and the example of Gaza is, unfortunately, a stark one, in a current bureaucratic landscape with more than one hundred institutions designed to curb and control military action—ranging from the UN to the regions' own national security, intelligence, and defense agencies. In light of all this, we remind the political protagonists of this film that diplomacy is the glue that properly binds together all these micro-tiles of the mosaic of this zellig that unites us on both shores of the Strait. Therefore, the beauty of the zellig is both aesthetic and structural. Francisco de Torres Fernández. President of SOCIAT. Professor at UNED