Morocco and Western Sahara

Foreign Policy In Focus, December 1, 1998
by Stephen Zunes [Source]
Key Points
* Morocco has occupied Western Sahara since 1975 in violation of resolutions by the UN Security Council and a decision by the International Court of Justice.
* The United States has provided military, economic, and diplomatic support for Morocco’s war effort.
* A ceasefire and proposed referendum bring promise for peace in the territory, but U.S. leadership is needed to insure its implementation…

US Should Reassess Policy in Western Sahara

Christian Science Monitor, Jan. 10, 1989, By Stephen Zunes
[Source] The incoming Bush administration has an opportunity to score an early diplomatic victory should it choose to actively throw its support behind United Nations sponsored negotiations for a peaceful settlement to the war in Western Sahara. To do so would be a departure from the Reagan administration which, despite diplomatic successes in Namibia and elsewhere, has chosen not to play a similarly constructive role in northwest Africa. Indeed, few Americans were even aware of this 14-year conflict until it was suddenly brought home in the tragic downing last month of an American aircraft that had been participating in locust spraying efforts in neighboring countries…