The Western Sahara conflict has proven to be one of the most
protracted and intractable struggles facing the international
community. Pitting local nationalist determination against Moroccan
territorial ambitions, the dispute is further complicated by regional
tensions with Algeria and the geo-strategic concerns of major global
players, including the United States, France, and the territory's
former colonial ruler, Spain. For over twenty years, the UN Security
Council has failed to find a formula that will delicately balance
these interests against Western Sahara's long-denied right to a
self-determination referendum as one of the last UN-recognized
colonies.
In the first
book-length treatment of the issue in over two decades, Zunes and
Mundy examine the origins, evolution, and resilience of the Western
Sahara conflict, deploying a diverse array of sources and firsthand
knowledge of the region gained from multiple research visits.
Shifting geographical frames--local, regional, and
international--provide for a robust analysis of the stakes involved.
