The Kafala System in the Persian Gulf States – Worker Protection or Slavery in the 21st Century? Outline of the Issues

The human rights protection system in the Middle East, especially in the Persian Gulf states, is often discussed in the literature in the context of women’s rights or the use of torture and the death penalty. An important topic related to human rights in the modern world is the kafala system, which has been operating in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, i.e., Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, and Jordan for years. The states have perceived it as a system of foreign worker protection. According to the latest data, it is estimated that 25 million migrants live and work in the GCC countries, 70% of the Gulf Cooperation Council workforce consists of migrant workers, and 49% of the total GCC population are migrants. The kafala system determines the dependence between a foreign employee and an Arab employer, which is often associated with the emergence of various types of violations of employee rights and threats to their lives and health.

Morocco and the Arab World During the Reign of Hasan II (1961–1999)

Relations with the Arab world formed one of the main lines of Morocco’s foreign policy in the post-independence period. In this respect, much attention was paid to relations with the Maghreb countries, especially Algeria and Mauritania. The paper’s main goal is to present and analyse relations of the Kingdom of Morocco with other Arab states during the rule of King Hasan II (1961–1999) in light of the events in the Middle East and North Africa. One of the key trends in the Moroccan foreign policy of that time was based on the aspiration to reclaim lands perceived as historical parts of the kingdom and to reinforce the sovereign statehood. Such plans were not welcome by the other states of the region and often led to disputes, such as the Western Sahara conflict. Considering the attitude of the Moroccan authorities towards the Arab-Israeli conflict, relations with Israel are also depicted in the work.