The sahrawi are the people living in the western part of the sahara desert, including the disputed area. Jun 19, 2016 the moroccan sahara conflict is an ongoing conflict between the kingdom of morocco and polisario front. The first part of nationalism and ethnic conflict addresses the roots of nationalist and ethnic wars, focusing in particular on the conflicts in the former yugoslavia, the former soviet union, and kashmir. Second paragraph of third chapter and its a long one, sorry. War, nationalism, and conflict irresolution largely succeed in giving the reader a comprehensive tour dhorizon of the dispute, one that begins with the 197591 war between morocco and polisario and continues with chapters describing the. Morocco, algeria and the western sahara arab millennial. The last remaining colonial conflict drags on in western sahara, on africas northeastern coast. Women on frontline in struggle for western sahara world. Yet an examination of the war for western saharaits origins, its evolution, and its nonconclusionis an important first step toward an understanding of the broader conflict. The study focuses on western sahara conflict and the formation of the polisario front. The western sahara remains a disputed territory and the host of one of the worlds most intractable conflicts.
The roots of a desert war by tony hodges allahs garden by thomas hollowell endgame in the western sahara. The western sahara conflict has proven to be one of the most protracted and intractable struggles facing the international community. The history of western sahara can be traced back to the times of carthaginian explorer hanno the navigator in the 5th century bc. Coauthored by stephen zunes, chair of the university of san francisco middle eastern studies program and an authoritative voice on. The disputed territory a mostly desert region roughly the size of the united kingdom and with a population of only several hundred thousand was a spanish colony until the mid1970s, when spain ceded sovereignty to morocco and mauritania. Algeria and the western sahara dispute by jacob mundy. Dynamics of intergroup conflicts in the western sahara anouar boukhars. War, nationalism and conflict irresolution syracuse, n. Pitting local nationalist determination against moroccan territorial ambitions, the dispute is further complicated by regional tensions with algeria and the geostrategic concerns of major global players, including the united states, france, and the territorys.
Pitting local nationalist determination against moroccan territorial ambitions, the dispute is further complicated by regional tensions with algeria and the geostrategic concerns of major global players, including the united states, france, and the territory. The western sahara conflict is both one of the worlds oldest and one of its most neglected. Oasis by laureen vonnegut sufferings in africa by james riley western sahara. As of this writing there is still no solution to the western sahara morocco conflict. This chapter explores some challenges of analysis faced by scholars of the western sahara conflict. Since algeria and morocco were two protagonists in the western sahara conflict, algeria opted for the eastern block where it became an ally of moscow in the region. The sadr was proclaimed by the polisario front a former socialist liberation force which has since reformed its ideological and political views on february 27, 1976, in bir lehlou, western sahara. Jacob mundy the western sahara is one of the worlds last vestiges of colonialism.
Morocco sahara conflict wall street international magazine. The right of selfdetermination versus territorial integrity 3 4. Students protests for western sahara independence draw. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Today the conflict is dominated by unarmed civil campaigns of the polisario front and their self. Nationalism, ethnic conflict, and rationality volume 1 issue 1 ashutosh varshney skip to main content accessibility help we use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites.
The main purpose is to analyses the international subjetivity of this movement, regarding the international. The conflict is dominated by unarmed civil campaigns of the polisario front and their selfproclaimed sadr state to gain fully recognized independence for moroccan southern provinces or what is called western sahara. It addresses the uns role in conflicts perceived by actors as protracted due to its lack of resolve, due to. The evolution of us and moroccan policy on western sahara. Letter from western sahara, a land under occupation the. The united nations has been trying to broker a western sahara settlement since 1991 after a ceasefire was reached to end a war that broke out when morocco deployed its military in the territory in. Its significance is partly due to two political realities of our time.
Western saharan nationalism generally nor polisario specifically. Nationalism in germany germany was united in 1871 as a result of the francoprussian war, and she rapidly became the strongest economic and military power in europe. Beginning in 1979, the organization of african unity oau sought a resolution of the western sahara conflict and called for a ceasefire and a referendum to provide the right of self. Students protests for western sahara independence draw crackdowns. Western sahara is a former spanish colony that has been largely under moroccan occupation since the conclusion of a 19751991 war between morocco and the proindependence polisario front. Does nationalism inevitably breed rivalry and conflict.
Pitting local nationalist determination against moroccan territorial ambitions, the dispute is further complicated by regional tensions with algeria and the geostrategic concerns of major global players, including the united states, france. The western sahara con ict as a war of national liberation. In this thoughtful and impressive analysis, stephen zunes and jacob mundy. He is known internationally as a leading critic of united states policy in the middle east, particularly under the george w. War, nationalism, and conflict irresolution has come to fruition after a long period of gestation, and the wait was well worth it. Morocco continues occupation of western sahara, in. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading western sahara. War, nationalism and conflict irresolution syracuse studies on peace and conflict resolution by stephen zunes isbn. West african nationalism rediscovered carleton university. It causes wars for the same reasons that individual egotism causes conflict to use the old way of thinking about it, nationalism invokes the seven deadly sins on a collective level. As this conflict receives limited international attention, the recent book western sahara. War, nationalism and conflict irresolution is a welcome addition to the literature on both the region and conflict studies. President of the sahrawi arab democratic republic wikipedia. The western sahara conflict is an ongoing conflict between the polisario front and the kingdom of morocco.
A s dusk enveloped the salmonpink houses of laayoune, the brightly coloured robes of women stood out in a mass of protesters in the centre of the capital of western sahara chanting for. Pdf on may 1, 2014, hugh roberts and others published stephen zunes and jacob mundy, western sahara. Pages in category western sahara conflict the following 33 pages are in this category, out of 33 total. The conflict in western sahara how does law protect in war. War, nationalism, and conflict irresolution syracuse studies on peace and conflict resolution stephen zunes, jacob mundy on. Morocco was pro western powers since it was a key ally of france and us. Mohamed abdelaziz ben khalili ben mohamed albachir errguibi was born in marrakesh or in smara into a sahrawi family of an eastern reguibat subtribe, migrating between western sahara, mauritania, western algeria and southern morocco he was the son of khalili ben mohamed albachir rguibi, who was a member of the moroccan liberation army and the royal moroccan army. Though few historical records are left from that period, western sahara s modern history has its roots linked to some nomadic groups living under berber tribal rule and in contact with the roman empire such as the sanhaja group, and the introduction of islam and. War, nationalism, and conflict irresolution largely succeed in giving the reader a comprehensive tour dhorizon of the dispute anthony pazzanita, author of the historical dictionary of western sahara, third edition from international journal of african historical studies.
The region, known as the southern provinces in morocco, was colonised by spain in 1884 and became the object of dispute between morocco and mauritania in the 1970s. Hes the coauthor of the book titled western sahara. The conflict originated from an insurgency by the polisario front against spanish colonial forces from 1973 to 1975 and the subsequent western sahara war against morocco between 1975 and 1991. At the regional level, the western sahara dispute then became one side of an interlocking conflict between morocco and algeria, which had origins in a brief border war in 1963.
Guerra del sahara occidental was an armed struggle opposing the sahrawi indigenous polisario front to morocco between 1975 and 1991 and mauritania from 1975 to 1979, being the most significant phase of the western sahara conflict. At the same time, these walls served to enclose all of the major population centers of the western sahara and the territorys rich phosphate deposits. Algeria and morocco the francoamerican consensus the historical formation of western saharan nationalism expressions of nationalism. Bush administration, and an analyst of nonviolent civil insurrections against autocratic regimes. In this thoughtful and impressive analysis, stephen zunes and jacob mundy provide. More than 30 years after the war began, the displacement of large numbers of people and a ceasefire in 1991 that froze military positions, its end remains remote. Security council has only contributed to the irresolution of the con ict26. War, nationalism, and conflict irresolution syracuse studies on peace and conflict resolution kindle edition by stephen zunes.
Algeria and the western sahara dispute the maghreb center. The president of the sahrawi arab democratic republic is the head of state of the sahrawi arab democratic republic sadr, a government in exile based in the sahrawi refugee camps of tindouf, algeria from the declaration of independence on february 27, 1976 to august 1982, the head of state of the sadr was known as the chairman of the revolutionary council. Nationalism, identity and citizenship in the western sahara. Nationalism, ethnic conflict, and rationality perspectives. War, nationalism, and conflict irresolution syracuse studies on peace and conflict. Sahrawis campaign for independence in the second intifada. West african nationalism rediscovered by salawu adewuni department of european studies university of ibadan ibadan, oyo state, nigeria abstract the contacts of west african people with people from europe, north africa and america have resulted in some changes in the conception of life of the inhabitants of west africa. The houston agreement was the result of negotiations between the polisario front and morocco on the organization of a referendum, which would constitute an expression of selfdetermination for the people of western sahara, possibly leading to full independence or integration within morocco.
From 1871 to 1890, germany wanted to preserve her hegemony in europe by forming a series of peaceful alliances. The fourapproach dilemma of the western sahara conflict. The proindependence polisario front and the occupying moroccan government. The right to selfdetermination as a peremptory norm in international law 1 2. War, nationalism, and conflict irresolution largely succeed in giving the reader a comprehensive tour dhorizon of the dispute, one that begins with the 197591 war between morocco and polisario and continues with chapters describing the political rivalries in north africa. The western sahara conflict also resonated at the international level. Following its initial occupation of parts of region in 1885, spain faced periodic resistance from the local population, most. The main objective of the nationalism and conflict management concentration is to provide a unique and needed resource for coping with the overwhelming challenges that nationalism, violence, national identity, and terrorism present to us today. Yet an examination of the war for western sahara its origins, its evolution, and its nonconclusionis an important first step toward an understanding of the broader conflict. Mar 03, 2017 morocco has announced the withdrawal of its forces from a u.
In the midday heat, in the shelter of a tent on the margins of the sahrawi refugee camp of smara, in southwest algeria, a woman gestures toward her nieces son. Stephen zunes born 1956 is an american international relations scholar specializing in the middle eastern politics, u. In recent months, the 32year old western sahara conflict has generated almost unprecedented media coverage, all because of one decontextualised fact. The fourapproach dilemma of the western sahara conflict mohammed cherkaoui 74,000 sahrawis who were listed on the spanish census of 1974, and insisted on adding up to 120,000 moroccans to the list. Scholars and diplomats have been frustrated in their attempts to understand and control these wars. War, nationalism and conflict irresolution, by stephen zunes and jacob mundy. Similarly, expansionist nationalists inevitably breed rivalry and conflict, purely because they are extremely militaristic and aggressive. The right to selfdetermination and the uti possidetis iuris principle 4 5.
War, nationalism and conflict irresolution by jacob mundy the sword and the cross by. The western sahara is one of the worlds last vestiges of colonialism. Letter from western sahara, a land under occupation letter from western sahara, a land under occupation. The illegality of moroccos nationalist expansion into western sahara and their support from the united states rachid h. Pitting local nationalist determination against moroccan territorial ambitions, the dispute is further complicated by regional tensions with algeria and the geostrategic concerns of major global players, including the united states, france, and the territory s. Important to note is that the western sahara conflict was already in place during the cold war period. The right to selfdetermination as a fundamental human right 2 3. The cost of the conflict executive summary the western sahara conflict is both one of the worlds oldest and one of its most neglected. Theirs is a contribution that prompts a wide array of adjectives. The question of sovereignty in the western sahara conflict.
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