The Western Sahara Deadlock : Understanding Algeria's Role and the Path to Resolution

Yasmine Hasnaoui’s, The Western Sahara Deadlock: Understanding Algeria''s Role and the Path to Resolution, investigates the extent of continuity and change in Algeria’s foreign policy during the Western Sahara Conflict following Algerian independence in 1962. The deterioration of diplomatic relations between Morocco and Algeria is a result of a deep-rooted rivalry over the Western Sahara conflict. Morocco’s diplomatic discourse over the last decade asserts that Algeria’s direct involvement in the Western Sahara conflict is the main reason for its perpetuation. Algeria, on the other hand, denies such accusations, claiming instead that the Sahara conflict is a UN matter and labelling Morocco as the last colonizing power on the African continent. In order to verify the validity of these contradictory allegations, Hasnaoui examines major factors, including geographical continuity and security interaction, that have influenced the creation and implementation of Algerian foreign policy with respect to the Western Sahara conflict. Hasnaoui sheds light on the current atmosphere of Algerian-Moroccan relations, the role of Algeria in the Western Sahara conflict, and the consequences related to its failure to achieve a full Maghreb Integration.