Rabat – A new English-language book shedding light on the Western Sahara dispute was published today, July 28.
Titled “Rethinking the Sahara Dispute: History and Contemporary Perspectives,” the book is a collective work completed at the initiative of the Coalition for the Autonomy of the Sahara (AUSACO), to be published ahead of Morocco’s Throne Day on Friday, July 30.
AUSACO, formerly the International Platform for the Defense and Support of the Moroccan Sahara, is an independent network made up of 3,000 lawyers, academics, journalists, and civil society actors committed to advancing the Western Sahara resolution process.
The members of AUSACO advocate for the resolution of the conflict through the publication of articles, books, and statements to the press, and by organizing conferences and events on the Sahara question.
The book is the first publication of an upcoming book series devoted to the Moroccan Sahara entitled “AUSACO Book Series.”
The comprehensive book tackles the Western Sahara conflict from various perspectives. In total, the Sahara question is dissected through eleven thematic contributions. It offers a thorough analysis of the ramifications and impact of the Western Sahara case on Continental Europe, the Mediterranean area, the Maghreb and Sahel regions.
The thematic collection of essays offers a new approach to the regional conflict by reconciling the contributions of historians, sociologists, geopoliticians, diplomats, security officials, and experts in strategic studies.
The diverse contributions attempt to provide a comprehensive overview of the conflict that emphasizes the intersectional nature of factors affecting the dispute and its progress.
The book also features insightful surveys exploring Algeria’s role in the conflict, the humanitarian dimension of the dispute, and the security threats resulting from the persistence of the conflict. The Moroccan autonomy plan is also discussed in the book.
Edited by French scholar Jerome Besnard and prefaced by former Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations Yehuda Lancry, the interdisciplinary book sets provide a “dispassionate and contained” response to anti-Moroccan propaganda from “Polisario” separatists.
