Young Moroccans love their country. Here’s why they’re leaving.

Hassine grins as he lists Morocco’s many positives: a tolerant society, diverse ethnicities and religions living together in harmony, state-of-the-art infrastructure, a modern constitution, and a monarchy once hailed as an exception for pushing through political reforms. 

So why are so many young Moroccans like Hassine desperate to emigrate abroad?

As many in the kingdom are finding, limited democracy and political openness alone do not guarantee solutions to some long-standing societal problems. And political parties are learning that governing and reaching consensus are not as easy as pushing for reforms.

“We love our country, and many of us believe that in the long run it will be on the right path,” says Hassine, 27, as he sells a phone card from his roadside Casablanca kiosk. “But the reality right now is, if you want a degree or a job, you got to get out to have a

The Moroccan exceptionComplaints of corruptionYouth exodusRoyal responseSurfacing dissent