American Involvement in the War against the Polisario Front in the 1980s

Abstract

The aim of this work is to clarify the position of the United States in the war between Morocco and Western Sahara during the 1980s. The choice of that moment and the topic are due to the fact that they were the key years for the future of the contest. The involvement of the United States meant that the Polisario could not win the war and constitute its independent state. To carry out this work, the documentation of US secret and diplomatic services was used mainly. In addition, papers from different American military and academic researchers were used. An analysis of the primary texts has been made, and then they have been compared with the available literature that deals with the issue. The conclusions suggest that the North American involvement, and of many of its allies, was the cause of a prolonged war in the Western Sahara, and that the issue of the refugee camps, as well as that of sovereignty over the territory remains in dispute. The great help received by the kingdom of Morocco was not enough for Hasan II to achieve a military victory.