A recent study titled “The UN Diplomatic Stress Syndrome and the Moroccan Sahara Issue” has focused on the role of UN envoys in the Sahara conflict, tracing the history of the issue since the appointment of the first envoy in 1997.
The study published in the fourteenth edition of the peer-reviewed scientific journal Strategy, highlights the controversial nature of the UN mission in the region, which has been in place for over 33 years.
The mission is criticized for its ambiguous mandate and failure to resolve the ongoing dispute.
The study evaluates the handling of the issue from the appointment of James Baker, the first UN personal envoy in 1997, to the current envoy, Staffan de Mistura.
It also explores the obstacles facing envoys in bridging the gaps between the conflicting parties, particularly the breakdown of negotiations in 2018 and tensions between De Mistura and Moroccan diplomacy due to his performance.
Boubouch examines why UN envoys have struggled to bring parties to the negotiating table, focusing on both internal and external factors hindering their mediation efforts.
Using historical and analytical methods, the study assesses the performance of past and present envoys, highlighting the failure of figures like James Baker, who declared the conflict “impossible to resolve,” and criticisms of envoys like Christopher Ross for alleged bias.
The study concludes that the failure of UN envoys is largely due to their focus on conflict management rather than addressing its root causes and the influence of major powers in the Security Council. It also points to limited diplomatic influence from UN secretaries-general, and calls for a reevaluation of the UN’s approach to managing such conflicts.
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