The Position of the European Union on the Western Sahara Conflict
The Western Sahara conflict has been embedded in a regional struggle with international implications, involving most of the key regional actors, as well as outside powers seeking to balance their interests with all parties concerned. Thus, the Western Sahara is at the centre of any foreign policy towards the Maghreb region, and this is the case for the European Union, with France and Spain as central actors. For Europe, the historical links with and the proximity of the continent to one of the most unstable regions in the world (the Arab and Muslim worlds) require the closest attention and a strong independent foreign policy. The EU has important strategic and economic interests but also political concerns in the North Africa region. This paper focuses on the evolution of EU policy towards the conflict and the actions taken by the Member States under the influence of the key actors in this issue: France and Spain. It also aims to lay the emphasis upon the limited role of the EU due to a complex policy making-process, as well as the existence of many participants. As will be demonstrated, the weaknesses of the EU foreign policy are not only due to the structure of the Union but also as a result of each state having to defend its own interests and preserve them bilaterally. It will be argued that the conflict resolution, if conducted to its conclusion within the UN framework, would provide the EU with a capacity to resolve conflicts within the international system and an opportunity to affirm its intrinsic external policy, when its overall foreign policy appears scattered if not atomised by the different influences pursued by its member states. Considering the Maghreb's geographical proximity to Europe and the general approach to solving issues at the EU level, this could constitute a breakthrough for an external policy in the making, contrasting with the negligible influence of the EU regarding the Middle East peace process.
Conflicting International Policies and the Western Sahara Stalemate
The Western Sahara conflict is a 32-year old case of decolonisation that has been on the UN Security Council's agenda since 1991. Despite the straightforwardness of the stalemate in terms of international legality, the UN has been unable to implement its own provisions on the issue. The UN's failure is due to the contradictions arising from the interaction throughout the conflict between international law and geopolitics. Morocco's supporters in the UNSC have not only allowed it to systematically violate international law but have encouraged Morocco to formalise its irredentism through its “Autonomy Initiative”. This behaviour is perilous not only for the stability of the Maghreb but for the UN system as well.
Surrender Is Not an Option: Defending America at the United Nations and Abroad
The son of a Baltimore fireman and the first person in his family to go to university, with scholarships to Yale College and Yale Law School, John Bolton candidly recounts his sixteen month tenure as US Ambassador to the United Nations, his Senate confirmation battle, and the highlights of his career in public service in two prior Republican administrations. In this explosive book, Bolton describes why practices such as the Oil for Food scandal, procurement fraud and sexual exploitation and abuse by U.N. peacekeepers are explained away or ignored. He also details how he made sure that U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan did not run for a third term and that another 'secular Pope' did not succeed him and why no country except the United States has done much about ending the genocide in Darfur. With a no-holds barred approach, John Bolton provides a unique insight into the workings of this monolithic institution and America's place within it.