Corruption and Terrorist Violence Pose Obstacles to Peace

When the Swedish government, in late January 2016, decided not to recognize an independent Western Sahara (or rather the Polisario movement), a debate broke out in Sweden that brought out some general issues about the conflict between Morocco and the Polisario movement.

A Sahrawi woman walks in the desert near the Western Sahara refugees camp called "27 February" in Tindouf on March 1, 2011. Western Sahara is a former Spanish colony which was annexed in 1975 by Morocco. The Polisario Front, backed by Algeria, wants independence for the territory on the west African coast. Dominique Faget/AFP/Getty Images

When the Swedish government, in late January 2016, decided not to recognize an independent Western Sahara (or rather the Polisario movement), a debate broke out in Sweden that brought out some general issues about the conflict between Morocco and the Polisario movement.

The Swedish parliament has actually voted in favor of recognizing Western Sahara, but at the time the then liberal-conservative government refused to go along, citing larger issues like Sweden’s relations with Morocco and other countries.

But this time was different. Both the parties (the Social-Democrats and the Green Party) in the present ruling minority government, have binding party-congressional decisions to recognize an independent Western Sahara. The reasons cited for not recognizing independence, despite earlier decisions to do so, were that the issue had to be “studied more” and that this decision should be seen as a postponement more than a final one.

There are a number of criteria that must be fulfilled for Sweden to recognize a new independent country, and a key factor is that the new government has control over its territory.