#benmoussa

I wore the badge above to attend a panel discussion in the French senate about security in the age of terrorism. The panelists included Alain Juillet, former head of French intelligence; Hervé Morin, former minister of defense; Louis Giscard d'Estaing, a politician and son of former President of France Valéry Giscard d'Estaing; and Chakib Benmoussa, Morocco’s ambassador to France. The latter explained how a three-pronged approach undertaken by the Moroccan government has  led to a “resilient” society. The Moroccan system relies, among other things, on “administration territoriale,” which means the management of the national territory through bureaucracy that is close to people.  Mr. Juillet lamented the dismantling of such a system in France, which has now left a big hole in its intelligence gathering. But Mr. Juillet is also looking ahead, beyond the current wave of Islamically inspired terror to emerging threats, like eco-terrorism. As he noted, terrorism has been a feature of French life since, at least, the French Revolution.

I captured some of what Ambassador Benmoussa said on video. Here it is en français!