The Panorama of Morocco Versus Northern Sahara Conflict Reality

Abstract

The Western Sahara conflict, a protracted territorial dispute between Morocco and the Polisario Front, encapsulates colonial legacies, competing nationalisms, and geopolitical rivalries, destabilizing the Maghreb. Originating from Spain’s 1970s decolonization, it juxtaposes Morocco’s historical sovereignty claims over the resource-rich territory against the Polisario’s pursuit of Sahrawi self-determination through the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR). Employing a qualitative historical-analytical methodology, this study utilizes thematic content analysis, comparative scrutiny, and critical discourse analysis of UN reports, peer-reviewed journals, and 2025 media to unpack layered causalities and power constructs. Adopting a realist framework, it interrogates the security dilemmas, strategic interests, and power dynamics perpetuating the impasse. The research traces the conflict’s trajectory from colonial entrenchment to decolonial fractures, analyzes recent escalations—including intensified drone warfare, cyber incursions, and Western endorsements of Moroccan autonomy—and evaluates regional ramifications, notably exacerbated Algeria-Morocco tensions marked by border closures, economic boycotts, and proxy escalations. Policy prescriptions advocate multilateral diplomacy, phased demilitarization, and economic incentives to transcend zero-sum territorial logic. By illuminating material drivers like phosphate wealth and systemic anarchy, this study enriches debates on post-colonial statecraft and mediation efficacy in 2025’s multipolar flux, offering nuanced insights into state-centric power maximization.