Irredentism and International Relations: An analysis of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara's (MINURSO) contention of Moroccan irredentism

• Grant number: 24/04536-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: February 01, 2025
• Status: Discontinued
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Political Science - International Politics
• Principal Investigator: Arthur Roberto Capella Giannattasio
• Grantee: Lucas Louzada Silva
• Host Institution: Instituto de Relações Internacionais (IRI). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 25/02791-2 - Irredentism and Internacional Relations: An analysis of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara's (MINURSO) contention of Moroccan irredentism, BE.EP.MS

Abstract

The dispute between Morocco and Polisário for Western Sahara's sovereignty is a representative conflict for North Africa's power balance, marked by the involvement of international players such as France, Spain, and the United States. The hypothesis to explain the effectiveness of the Moroccan irredentist project lies on the leniency of UN Security Council's powers with Rabat's policies. In order to verify the aforementioned hypothesis, the research will look at the meetings and resolutions adopted at the UNSC on the question since the creation of the Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara's in 1991. By analyzing Council members' position in the conflict, the study aims to measure the international community's capability to contain an irredentist project, in order to deepen the understanding of an entanglement of the phenomenon's domestic and international variables.