this is Morocco...

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captured in 45 minutes through

the windows of a bus winding its way

through the capital city of Rabat.

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A stable country in an precarious region, security forces and barriers are a frequent sight. Sharp reminders of when the

Arab Spring spread to North Africa in 2011.

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As other governments fought their citizens, Morocco's king Mohammad IX

quickly promised reforms.

 

But the monarchy’s lauded concessions 

soon faded to quiet consolidation of power.

 

Today the silence grows as dissidents and journalists are arrested

from Jerada to Al-Hoceima.

 

Here in Rabat, the streets are muted

by over $2,000,000 of surveillance software.

 

But compared to chaos,

to Yemen and Syria, some Moroccans 

say it’s a small price to pay

for a safe country and a tourist economy.

 

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