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The war in the Western Sahara recently entered its sixteenth year. Although progress toward peace has been made, concrete steps to a final resolution have not yet occurred. This has had serious political, social, economic, and military consequences for the countries in the region. Despite the significance of the issue, until now very few scholarly works have dealt with the regional and international dimensions of the conflict. In particular, little attention has been paid to the role of the superpowers and of the United Nations in the region and to the other related issues which are the focus of this book.
The Western Sahara conflict raises serious questions about the role of international law and of the United Nations in achieving the decolonization of former colonial territories and resolving regional conflicts. Taken together, the work of the scholars, diplomats, and experts in international law who have contributed to this volume constitutes a significant contribution to our understanding of the role of outside powers in the origins and evolution of the war in the Western Sahara. Their work also casts new light on the efforts of the Maghrebi states to overcome regional divisions by themselves and on the continuing attempts by the United Nations to resolve the conflict in the Western Sahara and restore respect for international law. This work will interest specialists West African affairs and in international law and organizations.
List of contents
Introduction
Origins and Development of the Conflict in the Western Sahara by Yahia H. Zoubir
Spain, France, and the Western Sahara: A Historical Narrative and Study of National Transformation by Phillip C. Naylor
The United States in the Saharan War: A Case of Low-Intensity Intervention by Stephen Zunes
U.S. Strategic Interests and the War in the Western Sahara by Richard B. Parker
Moscow, the Maghreb, and Conflict in the Western Sahara by Yahia H. Zoubir
The Western Sahara: International Legal Issues by Beth A. Payne
The Role of Foreign Military Assistance in the Western Sahara War by Daniel Volman
The Greater Maghreb and the Western Sahara by Robert A. Mortimer
The Proposed Referendum in the Western Sahara: Background, Developments, and Prospects by Anthony G. Pazzanita
The Western Sahara Conflict in the Post-Cold War Era by Yahia H. Zoubir and Daniel Volman
Glossary
Selected Bibliography
Index
About the author
Daniel Volman, Yahia H. Zoubir
