The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) may be supporting the violation of the UN Charter and Geneva Conventions constituted by the illegal occupation of Western Sahara...Show moreThe United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) may be supporting the violation of the UN Charter and Geneva Conventions constituted by the illegal occupation of Western Sahara by accepting extraterritorial nationally determined contributions (NDC) reports. Through the use of theory-testing process-tracing, this thesis investigates why the UNFCCC’s acceptance of extraterritorial NDC reports might influence the legitimacy of occupations. By conducting a case study of Morocco, the theoretical argument of this thesis is developed: Occupying powers seek legitimacy over their occupation by partaking in international organization processes which subsequently are approved by the international organization. This approval dissuades other states from objecting to the occupation and attempts to legitimate it, thereby perpetuating the status-quo which ultimately increases the external sovereignty of the occupation. By evaluating NDC reports, reports by the Western Sahara Resource Watch, and speeches at the UNFCCC, this study has identified the presence of the causal mechanism. Hence, this thesis contributes to the scholarly literature by addressing the influence that international organizations have on the legitimacy of occupations, a field that so far has gained little attention in academia.Show less
Despite being one of the most protracted and ongoing territorial disputes, as a case of irredentism the Western Sahara conflict has only incidentally enjoyed international attention. The...Show moreDespite being one of the most protracted and ongoing territorial disputes, as a case of irredentism the Western Sahara conflict has only incidentally enjoyed international attention. The opportunity to step into the vacuum of international news coverage and information provision about this disputed territory, however, has recently been seized. The media platform of the state-sponsored ‘Council of the Moroccan Community living abroad’, as the name suggests, has targeted the Moroccan diaspora with online content about the Western Sahara in recent years. While studies of irredentism have focused on the importance of nationalism in arousing support for irredentism among the nation, the role of irredentism in the construction of national identity has received little attention. Through the empirical analysis of this media content, this paper unravels the argumentation behind the Moroccan state’s irredentist claims in its communication to the diaspora and demonstrates that they are rooted in a state-informed national identity construct, a construct to which the Western Sahara as irredentist project in turn plays a contributing role. On the basis of this construct, I point out that in addition to being of interest as potential support base for advancing the Moroccan state’s irredentist cause in the Western Sahara, it is likely that the Moroccan diaspora is also reached out to in this regard for the purpose of bolstering the idea of a monarch(y)-centred national identity.Show less
This thesis examines the use of Africanness and politics of belonging in Morocco's discourse on its readmission to the African Union in 2017. As Morocco's Africanness became more scrutinized during...Show moreThis thesis examines the use of Africanness and politics of belonging in Morocco's discourse on its readmission to the African Union in 2017. As Morocco's Africanness became more scrutinized during the country's 33-year-long absence from the African Union, the King launched a comprehensive Africa policy to assert its Africanness. To explore the role of Africanness and politics of belonging in Morocco's discourse on readmission, this thesis analyzes a royal speech and ethnographic data collected from fieldwork in Morocco. Morocco selectively claims its Africanness as part of its political project of belonging. In the process, the Kingdom legitimizes its membership in the African Union and its claims on the Western Sahara.Show less
This thesis discusses natural resource exploitation in the Western-Sahara through 3 themes: international organization, Morocco's elite & international capital.
Research master thesis | Middle Eastern Studies (research) (MA)
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This thesis is engaged in the challenge that non-state actors pose for the international order in a context of human rights violations. For that, it focuses on how these actors influence...Show moreThis thesis is engaged in the challenge that non-state actors pose for the international order in a context of human rights violations. For that, it focuses on how these actors influence international politics, mainly through their role on implementing human rights norms, taking as a study case the Western Sahara pursuit of self-determination. The international and transnational solidarity network are to be seen as advocacy networks, and their actions, history, and role on implementing human rights norms will be analyzed. The domestic dimension of this advocacy will be explored through an initiative emerged from the Dutch society – the Polisario Komitee. The transnational dimension, in its turn, will be analyzed through the European Coordinating Conference of Support to the Sahrawi People (EUCOCO). The work will shed light on how these initiatives operate, in order to analyze if they prove to be effective in promoting the change they are committed to – as well as what are the elements that influence negatively in their advocacy. For that, the methodological approach includes a combination of primary archival sources, interviews, and literature on human rights, International Relations, and advocacy networks.Show less
This thesis concerns the developments in the Western Sahara after the Spanish withdrawal of colonial authority. It takes into account the extertion of influence of non-African nations in the Cold...Show moreThis thesis concerns the developments in the Western Sahara after the Spanish withdrawal of colonial authority. It takes into account the extertion of influence of non-African nations in the Cold War context and especially elaborates on the approach of the Organization of African Unity in order to solve this dispute. The analysis moreover includes relevant transcripts of diplomatic meetings between Henry Kissinger and other important political figures in the years after the conflict´s emergence, which undermine the international significance.Show less
