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{
  "authors": [
    "Anouar Boukhars"
  ],
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  "centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
    "Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center"
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  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
  "programAffiliation": "MEP",
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    "Middle East"
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  "regions": [
    "North Africa",
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  "topics": [
    "Political Reform",
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Source: Getty

In The Media

The Western Sahara Conflict

The conflict between Morocco and the Polisario has resulted in enormous human, economic, and political problems for the region.

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By Anouar Boukhars
Published on Aug 22, 2013
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The Middle East Program in Washington combines in-depth regional knowledge with incisive comparative analysis to provide deeply informed recommendations. With expertise in the Gulf, North Africa, Iran, and Israel/Palestine, we examine crosscutting themes of political, economic, and social change in both English and Arabic.

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Source: FRIDE

The conflict between Morocco and the Polisario, a group fighting for independence, is one of the most complex and stubborn conflicts in recent times, said Anouar Boukhars in an interview with FRIDE. The standoff, which dates back to 1973, has resulted in human, economic, and political problems and in the last few years, the conflict has had a trans-Saharan security impact, he added.

Boukhars, who traveled to the Western Sahara in June, noted that given the security problems in the Sahel and Mali and the refugees based in Algeria, the situation poses a huge concern to the region. Both sides have struggled to make compromises and concessions to find a solution.

The solution to the conflict is complex, Boukhars warned. “I think there has to be, as the United Nations says, a consensual political solution,” he said, highlighting the plan put forth on the table by Morocco that gives widespread autonomy and is supported by the United States, France, and Spain.

About the Author

Anouar Boukhars

Former Nonresident Fellow, Middle East Program

Boukhars was a nonresident fellow in Carnegie’s Middle East Program. He is a professor of countering violent extremism and counter-terrorism at the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, National Defense University.

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Anouar Boukhars
Former Nonresident Fellow, Middle East Program
Political ReformSecurityMilitaryNorth AfricaAlgeriaMoroccoMaghreb

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

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