US – Moroccan Relationship
The ‘Berm’ along the Moroccan border with Western Sahara.
Morocco claims Western Sahara as its sovereign territory. How-
ever, since 1973, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia
el Hamra and Rio de Oro (Polisario) has pursued independence
for the territory, contesting Morocco's claim of sovereignty. In
1975, the population of Western Sahara was approximately
490,000, an estimated 100,000 of which were Moroccan citi-
zens relocated by the Moroccan government to the region and
significantly subsidized to live there. The majority of Western
Sahara’s native population is Sahrawi (literally "people of the
desert" in Arabic), who are also found in Algeria and Maurita-
nia. 5
In 1988, Morocco and the Polisario agreed to settle the Western
Sahara dispute by referendum, which was drafted and passed by
the UN Security Council in 1991 (UN Mission for a Referen-
dum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), UN Security Council
Resolution 690 (UNSCR 690)). 6 The resolution outlines a
referendum offering the Sahrawi a choice between either inde-
pendence or integration into Morocco. It also allows for the
deployment of the UN peacekeeping contingent that is current-
ly monitoring the ceasefire. MINURSO’s political mission is
identifying and registering qualified voters, and organizing the
referendum.
However, Morocco and the Polisario have not resolved their
disagreements over voter eligibility (those individuals living in
Western Sahara in 1975 versus Moroccans that have relocated
there since) or which option for self-determination (integra-
tion, independence, or something in between) would be on the
ballot. Consequently, the referendum has never taken place. 7
Since 1991, UN-facilitated negotiations on the territory’s status
have been unproductive. The UN extended the MINURSO’s
mandate 61 times in hope the original resolution might yield
positive results. On October 31, 2018, resolution 2240 was
extended for six months, emphasizing the need for a "realistic,
practicable and enduring political solution" to Estern Sahara,
and will now expire on April 30, 2018. 8
The US’s relationship with Morocco goes back to the creation
of the US as a country. The US Senate ratified a Treaty of Peace
and Friendship between the two nations in 1786, 9 making
Morocco the first country to officially recognize the US as a
nation. During World War II, US forces reinforced this “un-
broken alliance” 10 when it liberated Morocco in 1942 from the
Axis-aligned Vichy French government control as part of the
Allied Forces’ Operation Torch. 11 When Morocco eventually
gained its independence in 1956, after more than 40 years as
a French protectorate, 12 the US was one of the first nations to
diplomatically recognize Morocco. 13 Since then, the two na-
tions have worked closely together, making Morocco a reliable
and crucial ally in northwest Africa. 14
The US has strategic interests in maintaining a strong security
partnership with Morocco. Although the 2017 United State
National Security Strategy (NSS) does not explicitly mention
Morocco, being more focused on threats than partnerships, it
does outline overall US strategic goals applying to northwest
Africa. The NSS states that the US “will partner with govern-
ments, civil society, and regional organizations to end long-run-
ning, violent conflicts.” 15 The NSS also declares that the US will
work “with partners to defeat terrorist organizations and others
who threaten US citizens and the homeland.” 16 Nested in the
NSS is the US Department of State FY 2014-2017 Strategic
Plan, which advocates building “new stability in the Middle
East and North Africa.” 17 Lastly, a goal of the 2018 National
Defense Strategy in Africa is “to bolster existing bilateral and
multilateral partnerships and develop new relationships to
address significant terrorist groups that threaten [US] interests”
by “working by, with, and through local partners.” 18
Morocco is a valuable diplomatic partner enabling US re-
gional goals, and has voiced the need for cooperation with
the US during both the 2015 US-Morocco Strategic Dia-
logue and the Global Counter-terrorism Forum’s Initiative
on Open Border Security.19 Politically, Morocco is a mod-
erate Arab state, with a strong voice in the Arab community,
providing the US with diplomatic access when doing so
openly could be counter-productive, discouraged, or out-
right rejected by Morocco’s Arab partners. When it benefits
both countries, the Moroccan government promotes US
international and regional interest through its membership
in the Arab League. The US leverages Morocco’s member-
ship as “an experimental field in which it tests reforms and
democratic efforts designed for the region.”20
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