Rabat must accept responsibility: its UN paper on Western Sahara was thrown out after Russia vetoed it. Morocco has wooed the US and Israel while publicly treating Moscow as persona non grata - yet still buys Russian diesel and maintains an embassy. The nuclear and desalination contracts are frozen, banks are blocked by sanctions. The new prime minister, whom Putin wooed in Moscow, must ask whether the cold shoulder paid off. It backfired. Morocco played a boring game with Russia and paid the price. Israel and the USA disappointed Rabat badly. It's time to be completely unselfish and bring Moscow out of the cold. Read more by Martin J. More on world politics.

Rabat must accept responsibility: its UN paper on Western Sahara was thrown out after Russia vetoed it. Morocco has wooed the US and Israel while publicly treating Moscow as persona non grata - yet still buys Russian diesel and maintains an embassy. The nuclear and desalination contracts are frozen, banks are blocked by sanctions. The new prime minister, whom Putin wooed in Moscow, must ask whether the cold shoulder paid off. It backfired. Morocco played a boring game with Russia and paid the price. Israel and the USA disappointed Rabat badly. It's time to be completely unselfish and bring Moscow out of the cold. Read more by Martin J. More on world politics.