Conflict and Peace in Western Sahara

'This gap-filling book provides comprehensive insight into the MINURSO peacekeeping operation. The authors include well-known figures in the scientific community, international lawyers, archaeologists, human rights activists, and even a peacekeeper who served in the mission. It is useful to all those involved in studying Western Sahara and the Maghreb region.'

Major General György Száraz, Force Commander of the MINURSO from 2002 to 2005

'This is an important and timely study, not just for those interested in Western Sahara, but for anyone concerned about the future of UN peacekeeping operations and the challenging role of the United Nations in maintaining international peace and security and in upholding international law.'

Stephen Zunes, Professor of Politics, University of San Francisco, USA

'Conflict and Peace in Western Sahara is a deeply researched, comprehensive account of the half-century struggle for the future of Western Sahara, and of the United Nations’ nearly thirty-year peacekeeping mission there. Equally well-grounded in the surrounding region’s social and political history and in global politics, it is a sobering assessment of how distant interests can warp the search for local peace and self-determination.'

William J. Durch, Distinguished Fellow at the Stimson Center, Washington, DC, USA

'This comprehensive edited volume offers thorough and diverse analysis that seeks to make sense of how we’ve arrived at the present political impasse in Western Sahara. The volume is a rarity in scholarship on the territory, offering depth and breadth from researchers and past-MINURSO peacekeepers around the world. It is both instructive and insightful in its attention to issues of human rights in the context of the MINURSO mandate, offering an analysis of the Mission’s history, the lessons learned, and what we may expect in the future.'

Randi Irwin, Lecturer in the School of Humanities, University of Newcastle, Australia

'This pioneering and comprehensive work helps illuminate the dilemma of successive Personal Envoys of the UN Secretary-General for Western Sahara as they try to facilitate negotiations for an agreement on the future of this territory that honors the principle of self-determination when one of the parties – Morocco – has abandoned its commitment to the referendum for which MINURSO was created and has instead sought to impose a regime of autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty and when, at the same time, the members of the Security Council remain divided on how to break the resulting stalemate.'

Christopher Ross, Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General from 2009 to 2017