LEGAL 



TIDES 



For his part, Senseney has been helping 

 to pave the way for partnerships to form and 

 flourish. Already, the Morocco Research Institute 

 is working with its sister-lab, the Lawrence Liver- 

 more National Research Laboratory in California. 



"We are looking to cultivate new ground 

 for a broader scale of collaboration in a wide 

 range of scientific fields," he says. 



There is a particular interest in Sea Grant's 

 expertise in coastal zone management, he says. 



"Science and technology will strengthen 

 ties between our country and each of the three 

 countries — and among those countries — 

 collaboratively and collectively," says Senseney. 



If approved, Clark's competitive grant- 

 based program would be funded by MEPI and 

 administered by NOAA Research International 

 Activities Office in collaboration with National 

 Sea Grant and North Carolina Sea Grant. 

 The proposal still is wending its way through 

 government channels, and funding is far from 

 being a "done deal." 



Nevertheless, Algerian Embassy officials 

 responded by naming Clark an Embassy Science 

 Fellow. Building on the dialogue that began 

 with the 2003 mission, the fellowship could 

 mean an extended return trip to Algeria for 

 Clark. This would provide time to forge research 

 partnerships. 



Ultimately, Clark would establish a co- 

 operative extension network to deliver research 

 results to users and to facilitate the transfer of 

 research results into university curricula. 



To achieve a positive outcome, Clark is 

 calling on his past experience in the region 

 to navigate its complex culture. In 1991 , 

 Clark headed up a United States Agency 

 for International Development sustainable 

 development initiative in the Sultanate of Oman. 

 He helped develop a policy framework that 

 would enable the expansion of tourism while 

 protecting the coastal environment. 



A MELTING POT 



Novelists and screenwriters portray the 

 North Africa region as a world of mystery and 

 intrigue, perhaps best captured in the screen 

 classic, Casablanca. In fact, it is a world whose 

 character is shaped by history and colored by its 

 varied cultures. 



Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia 

 are on the western edge of the Arab 

 world — with portals to the Mediter- 

 ranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean. 

 Scholars point out that this region 

 lies on the boundaries of modem 

 and ancient, Christian and Muslim, 

 Oriental and Occidental traditions. 



The silver screen image not 

 withstanding, Casablanca is a modem 

 Moroccan city with wide boulevards 

 and French-influenced architecture. 



And, its Grand Mosque is 

 just that — grand, Clark says. Built 

 to honor the late Moroccan King 

 Hassan n, it was meant to be the 

 greatest mosque in the modem Arab 

 world. The mosque sits at the edge 

 of the Atlantic and, appears to float 

 over water. From the pinnacle of 

 the minaret, a laser beam that points 

 toward Mecca can be seen from more 

 than 30 miles away. 



Casablanca as well as Rabat, the capital city, 

 are portraits of contrast: old and new, rich and 

 poor, he adds. 



Morocco, which won its independence from 

 France in 1962, is strategically located on the 

 Strait of Gibraltar that connects the Atlantic Ocean 

 and the Mediterranean Sea. 



The team identified a set of environmental 

 issues to target — in line with the nation's 

 commitment to sustainable development. 

 Moroccan Princess Lalla Hasna, addressing the 

 Foundation for Environmental Education recently, 



iterated her 

 nation's resolve 

 to tackle water 

 quality and 

 waste treatment 



concerns, as well as desertification — the loss of 

 productive land to arid conditions resulting from 

 management or climate change. 



In Tunisia, probably more for "local color" 

 than real intrigue, Clark actually had to knock 

 three times on the door of a Kasbah restaurant 

 — The Hideaway. Tunis, he says, is a city of 



28 AUTUMN 2004 



