The Western Sahara Question and International Law Recognition Doctrine and Self-Determination

This book analyses recent developments concerning the application of the international legal doctrines of recognition and self-determination in relation to the Western Sahara Question. It investigates the emergent shift in favour of Morocco?s sovereignty claim to Western Sahara as apparent from the positions adopted by an increasing number of third States in the United Nations and the recent spate of third States establishing consulates in Western Sahara, with Morocco?s encouragement. It reflects on what the functioning of the doctrines of recognition and self-determination in this situation reveals about contemporary international law in practice more generally. The work will be of interest to scholars, researchers, and postgraduate students as well as practitioners of public international law who have a particular interest in decolonisation, self-determination disputes, and/or conflicts about natural resource entitlements. It will also appeal to readers with an interest in the work of International Organisations, including the United Nations, the European Union, and the African Union, and to specialists in international relations and regional politics. The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.

1. Introduction; 2. Self-Determination and the Western Sahara Question; 3. The Doctrine of Recognition and Morocco’s Claim to Western Sahara; 4. Recent Developments in UN Practice Concerning Western Sahara; 5. Implications of Growing Support for the Moroccan Position on Western Sahara; 6. Conclusion: The Future of Western Sahara and the Future of International Law

Stephen Allen is Senior Lecturer in Law at Queen Mary, University of London, and a practising barrister.

Jamie Trinidad KC is Fellow and Director of Studies in Law at Wolfson College, University of Cambridge, Fellow of the Lauterpacht Centre for International Law, and a practising barrister.