Algerian Foreign Policy towards Western Sahara

Abstract

The focus of this chapter is Algerian foreign policy towards the Western Sahara conflict and its evolution, trying to assess how the Algerian stance has been influenced by domestic factors as well as other concerns related to the evolving regional political and security context. This particular study is part of the multilevel analysis of the Western Sahara conflict presented in this book. The objective is to identify the domestic and foreign drivers for change and continuity in a historical perspective and in the current situation. The chapter first provides a general overview of Algerian foreign policy since independence and its position regarding the Western Sahara conflict. It then analyses the factors at home and abroad that have influenced this stance, evaluating the importance of different elements and identifying possible triggers that could provoke a change in the Algerian position.