Conclusion

Abstract

The present global, regional and Moroccan state/national dynamics surrounding the Western Sahara issue point to the continuation of the “conflict” and the persistence of the status quo as in the past decades. At the global level, Western Sahara did not benefit from the post-Cold War momentum in terms of the resolution of conflicts dating from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s across the globe. Since then, this conflict has suffered from a relative irrelevance for big powers, which endows the latter’s behaviour with an instrumental character-in subordination to more important goals-and a certain level of “unpredictability”. At the regional level, the post-colonial rivalry between Algeria and Morocco has persisted in spite of the opportunities for convergence created by the end of the Cold War and even increased in the context of the US-led War on Terror. At the level of Moroccan state/national politics, the Western Sahara issue remains essential for the monarchy to solidify its rule, preserve its nationalist credentials and prevent any political interference from the military.