Last year and despite the pandemic, lobbying activities in the United States by foreign countries continued. While Morocco spent almost the same amount as the previous years, those of Algeria and the Polisario Front dropped drastically. In 2020, and despite the international health crisis, Morocco continued to pay lobbyists to defend its interests in the United States. Last year, the Kingdom would have spent $1,468,911 on lobbying activities in the US, according to the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP). The latter is a non-profit research group, which tracks the effects of money and lobbying on election and public policy in the US. In one year, Morocco's government spending on lobbying in the United States would have reached $863,991. During the same period, Moroccan non-governmental parties would have spent $605,000 on lobbying in the US. These numbers remain lower than the ones recorded in 2019, during which the government of Morocco is said to have spent $1,61 million on lobbying. In 2017, Morocco's spending amounted to $240,000, while 2016 and 2018 saw the highest spendings on lobbying in the past five years. According to the same NGO, Morocco would have spent on lobbying $3,3 million and $3,31 million in 2018 and 2016 respectively. In 2020, Morocco is said to have relied on four lobbying firms in the United States. Thirdcircle Inc, owned by Scott Pruitt, and Neale Creek, owned by lobbyist Andrew King, declared respective amounts of $ 603,991 and $ 180,000 settled by Morocco. These same firms also worked in 2020 for Qatar for significantly higher amounts ($ 360,000 and $ 450,000 respectively). The firms SGR Government Relations & Lobbying and the French company JPC Strategies also declared respective amounts of $ 90,000 and $ 80,000 received from the Kingdom. Algeria and the Polisario's spending on lobbying in the US goes down The amounts spent by Morocco are always higher than those spent by Algeria. Indeed, Algiers spent $120,000 last year for lobbying in the United States. An amount that went mainly to Keene Consulting, owned by David Keene, who is a former boss of the powerful National Rifle Association (NRA), and pro-Polisario lobbyist. Keene Consulting's services have been mandated by Algeria since at least 2018. In 2019, the Algerian government spent $420,000 on lobbying while Algerian non-governmental parties spent $204,730. Algiers hired Foley Hoag & Eliot ($210,000), Keene Consulting ($210,000), International Policy Solutions ($174,730) and Rasky Partners ($30,000). CRP also reports an amount of approximately $9,975 spent in 2020 by the Polisario Front on behalf of the firm Independent Diplomat Inc, mandated by the movement since at least 2016. Two years earlier, this amounts had reached $20,000 for the same companies. Although the amount of Morocco's lobbying spending for 2020 dropped compared to the previous years, Rabat made positive achievements in the United States. In December 2020, the Trump administration recognized Morocco's sovereignty over the Sahara.
