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.
Not Another Failed State: Toward a Realistic Solution in the Western Sahara
One of Africa's most bitter territorial disputes, with profound implications for both regional and global stability and security, the “question of Western Sahara” has defied the international community's efforts to facilitate its “solution” for decades. This article explores the historical background to the conflict, the viability of the self-proclaimed “Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic,” and the strategic significance of the integration of both the Saharan territory and the Maghreb region, before concluding with the outlines of a realistic approach to resolving the conflict.
Endgame in the Western Sahara: What Future for Africa's Last Colony?
* Acknowledgments * Chronology * 1. Introduction * 2. International context: The Maghreb from 'Cold War' to 'War Against Terror' * US ambitions for the Maghreb * Jealous France and post-colonial Spain * 3. Cain and Abel: The Western Sahara and the Struggle for Regional Supremacy * Changing interests in a changing world * The supporting players * 4. Morocco: Unstable and Counting the Cost of the Green March * Economic costs versus political benefits * 5. The Alchemist's Dream: The Quest for Gold from the Desert Sand * Oil * Phosphates * Fisheries * Iron and other minerals * 6. Sahrawi Society under Occupation * The demographic fog * Economic development: grand plans, grim reality * 7. The 'Years of Lead' * 8. An Identity Forged by Resistance * 9. 1999: Civil Society and Breaking Down the 'Wall of Fear' * 10. Zero sum game: The Western Sahara and the UN Process * The settlement plan: From ceasefire to deadlock * Sidelining the Sahrawis * Baker tries again * 11. Polisario and the SADR: Guerrillas, Refugees and their State-in-Waiting * Political evolution within the movement * The structure of Polisario's state * 12. War: The Unbroken Chain * 13. Endgame