Western Sahara International Law, Justice and Natural Resources [Paperback]

As the Spanish were preparing to leave colonized Western Sahara in 1975, Morocco invaded, sparking a war with the Western Saharan Polisario Front. About 70% of Western Sahara was occupied by Morocco, which stations up to 140,000 soldiers in the territory, primarily along a 1700 kilometre long sand berm that is protected by one of the worlds largest fields of landmines. In 1991, Morocco and the Polisario Front agreed to a truce ahead of a referendum on Western Saharas future. However, Morocco has since refused to allow the referendum to take place, and has begun the extensive exploitation of Western Saharas non-renewable natural resources. This has both highlighted the plight of the Saharawi people who live in refugee camps in Algeria and in occupied Western Sahara, and pushed the Polisario Front back to a position where it is openly canvassing for a return to war. This book was originally published as a special issue of Global Change, Peace and Security.

Introduction: Resources and a Return to Conflict? Damien Kingsbury

1. The Status of Western Sahara as Occupied Territory under International Humanitarian Law and the Exploitation of Natural Resources Ben Saul

2. The Role of Natural Resources in Nation Building Md. Kamal Fadel

3. The taking of the Sahara: The role of natural resources in the continuing occupation of Western Sahara Jeffrey Smith

4. Western Sahara, Resources, and International Accountability Stephen Zunes

5. Saharawi conflict phosphates and the Australian dinner table Erik Hagen

6. The hidden cost of phosphate fertilizers: Mapping multi-stakeholder supply-chain risks and impacts from extraction to the dinner table Dana Cordell, Andrea Turner and Joanne Chong

7. Out of the impasse: The self-determinations of Timor-Leste and Western Sahara PedlƒT