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Stances of Other External Players France France has historically supported Morocco’s policy stances in the UNSC, meaning that any resolution that does not accord with Moroccan interests will almost certainly be vetoed. There are multiple reasons for this. Firstly, France and Morocco have long enjoyed close ties, whereas France’s fraught colonial history with Algeria colors its relations with the Polisario. Additionally, Morocco demonstrated its unwillingness to brook any softening of French support in 2014, when it temporarily suspended its counterterrorism and judicial cooperation with France due to France’s criticism of its human rights conduct in the Western Sahara. France is also concerned that if it deviates in its support, Morocco could respond by permitting increased migration into the south of Europe through Morocco.
Spain
The Moroccan government has funded various develoipment projects in Western Sahara, such as this dairy farm in the deserts outside Laayoune. Source: Ben Brenner. Council. In short, Russia has no specific agenda that it is pursuing; its unrelated interactions with the relevant parties are usually determinative of its posture in the UNSC.
As the former colonial power in Western Sahara, Spain has a longstanding interest in the conflict. There is a robust civil society in Spain that supports the Sahrawi cause, and lobbies to the Spanish government on their behalf. However, the strength of Spain’s support for the Sahrawis has waxed and waned, dependent on whether conservative or left-leaning governments were in power. Regardless, Spain has never taken a strong stance: former Minister of Foreign Affairs Miguel Nadal best characterized their position as one of “active neutrality.”
U.S. INTERESTS
Russia
• Promote inclusive economic growth, socio-economic development, open markets, and increased U.S. exports; and
Russia has interests with all parties to the conflict, and has historically walked a neutral path in the UNSC. While it has recently been trying to strengthen its diplomatic ties with Morocco, it also has a longstanding relationship with Algeria which dates back to the Cold War. Also, Russia’s tensions with the United States and France in Syria have been known to affect its vote in the
The State Department Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs’ (NEA) 2018 Joint Regional Strategy set forth the following elements of the Bureau’s strategic goals for the Middle East and North Africa region:37 • Enhance security, stabilization, counterterrorism, and conflict resolution;
• Improve governance, strengthen democratic institutions and processes, and support an engaged civil society. Based on these strategic goals, the report contends that the following interests should drive U.S. policy on the Western Sahara conflict:
