Western Sahara: War, Nationalism, and Conflict Irresoluton, Second Edition, Paperback

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.

About author(s):

Stephen Zunes is professor of politics and international studies at the University of San Francisco, where he chairs the program in Middle Eastern Studies. He is the author of Tinderbox: U.S. Middle East Policy and the Roots of Terrorism. He serves as a senior analyst for the Foreign Policy in Focus project of the Institute for Policy Studies.

Jacob Mundy is assistant professor of Peace and Conflict Studies at Colgate University. He is the author of several book chapters and articles on North African politics. He has served as a consultant for several governments and NGOs on the Western Sahara conflict.