Ambassador from Morocco to discuss Arab Spring at BYU

PROVO — Rachad Bouhlal, ambassador to the U.S. for the Kingdom of Morocco, will speak at Brigham Young University on Thursday.

Bouhlal's topic will be "Understanding the Arab Spring: Morocco's Perspective" and is sponsored by the Kennedy Center for International Studies.

The Arab Spring is a wave of demonstrations and political protests across the Arab world that began Dec. 18, 2010, in Tunisia. Protests then were sparked in Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Libya, Syria and other countries.

The event will be held in the Lee Library Auditorium beginning at 2 p.m.

Bouhlal got his MBA in France and in 1976 joined the civil service at the Foreign Trade Department in Morocco. He has held many positions within the Moroccan government, including director of the Fishery Industries Department and senior adviser to the prime minister. Before serving as the ambassador to the U.S., he was ambassador to Germany, Belgium and Luxembourg.

For more information contact Lee Simons at lee_simons@byu.edu or 801-422-2652.