How Morocco Turned a National Cause into a Universal Truth: Law, History and the Sahara

With these words, His Majesty was referring to a historical reality experienced by all peoples and States that have fought for their independence and territorial integrity. Indeed, although colonised peoples fought for their right to independence, recognised by all divine laws, treaties and international conventions, ancient and modern, this right always required long and arduous historical steps to become a consummated reality. 

The national right to independence and territorial unity has faced, and continues to face, the challenges and geopolitical interests of the great powers that have always monopolised the interpretation of global values and laws, thus deciding the historical directions to be followed to resolve this or that conflict relating to national issues affecting States claiming total independence. This has forced many countries to embark on difficult and costly paths, requiring enormous sacrifices, before fully obtaining their independence.

While the internal political conflict of states is governed by law, in international relations the law of force prevails, and the interests of powerful states become an end in themselves. The rights of one state or another are only realised through channels determined by the interests and challenges of the great powers at any given time. Since each nation determines its interests according to its own cultural vision and values, the culture and values of the powerful state are imposed as those of the era. Consequently, its interests are taken for granted and do not require review or criticism. 

Thus, emerging and developing states always need to make additional efforts to first understand their own interests, distinct from those of the powers, and then to realise those interests in a complex and constantly evolving geopolitical context. 

This reality, marked by the predominance of force in international relations, explains why the relationship between the concepts of universalism and nationalism oscillates between agreement, tension or conflict. 

Nationalism is based on particular interests, while universalism expresses a history defined by a specific rationality, constructing a certain understanding of the evolution of humanity. The union and reconciliation between these two concepts remain more subject to international power balances than to the principles of logic or reason, since the historical content claimed as universal actually expresses the political interests of the dominant forces that present themselves as bearers of human cultures and values. 

Throughout history, the great powers have been able to resolve the contradiction between nationalism and universal history by imposing their national interests as those of all humanity, thus setting themselves up as the sole representatives of universalism. 

The case of Morocco and the question of the Sahara vividly illustrates this relationship between universality and nationalism. The demands of national interests, which Morocco considers an indisputable right to complete its territorial unity and extend its sovereignty over the entire historical territory of the Moroccan people, from Tangier to Lagouira, have only occupied a legitimate place in recent history after strategic patience, tactical political intelligence and a growing reinforcement of national culture. 

Morocco is today a new example of success, with its firm attachment to the Moroccan identity of the Sahara, considered a non-negotiable national interest, a right deeply rooted in its history and culture, which has enabled it to obtain international, continental and global recognition, despite the difficulties created by the evolution of the concept of universality, which oscillates between Western withdrawal and openness to other cultures and values, but compatible with the spirit and objectives of this concept.

This achievement has required a long concerted effort by all the country's active forces, symbolising national communion under a legitimate and legal monarchy. This national culture, which justifies this national interest as a historical reference to the legitimacy of the Moroccan character of the Sahara, has achieved universal status, convincing the world that the historical particularity of the relationship between the Moroccan people and the monarchy, according to the concept of إمارة المؤمنين based on the bay'a contract, is a religious and cultural specificity perfectly compatible with the concept of social contract that underpins democracy in Western societies, which monopolise the definition of the contents of universalism. 

The greatness of a state is built on the strength based on its culture, since cultural and political greatness are intrinsically linked according to Max Weber. Strength does not consist solely of economic figures or military equipment, but is also based on socio-cultural integration in society and the state based on a unified culture capable of rationalising the national interest and convincing the world that the particularity of nationalism is the true gateway to universalism and the contribution to modern human values. 

The national interest, which is simultaneously reinforced by national culture, is based in Morocco on Islam, which considers the bay'a as a social contract reflecting the agreement of all components of the nation on the legitimacy of the king as commander of the faithful, head of state and cultural symbol of unity. 

The interplay of colonial powers on African borders led to the establishment of colonial enclaves designed to pressure and weaken nation states for geopolitical reasons. Some expansionist regional powers took advantage of the return of these territories to stir up causes such as that of the Moroccan Sahara. 

Morocco's success in obtaining recognition of the Moroccan character of the Sahara, both in Africa and internationally, is therefore the result of a fundamental strategy based on Morocco's ability to present its national culture as a dynamic open to the future, capable of integration and development with a view to achieving universalism. This strategy is based on two essential levers: autonomy as a democratic solution to the artificial conflict over the Sahara and socio-economic development as the basis for the social and economic integration of Moroccan society. These two levers lead to a new modernist legitimacy of Moroccan sovereignty over the entire national territory.

The regional autonomy project for the Moroccan Sahara, officially presented by Morocco to the UN on 11 April 2007 in a document entitled ‘The Moroccan initiative to negotiate an autonomy statute for the Sahara region’, constitutes a political vision for resolving the artificial conflict over the Sahara and a democratic approach to a new regional organisation that allows for broad participation by local elites in the management of affairs and the development of their region within the framework of national unity. 

This project acquires its democratic dimension through essential political mechanisms that give the populations of the Sahara the leading role in building their local institutions and autonomy in development decisions. 

The key elements of this project are: full respect for existing international standards, the right of the inhabitants of southern Morocco to elect the president of their regional government by democratic vote, and the constitutional guarantee of autonomy for the Moroccan Sahara region. 

This project, which is in line with a participatory democratic model, responds to the aspirations of the citizens of the southern provinces, and any regional political elite committed to democracy and development would not fail to support and implement this project, which transforms an artificial regional conflict into a living reality. 

Thus, with this proposal for autonomy, Morocco demonstrates that its conception of democracy, rooted in its specific culture and history, is an integral part of modern values and universally recognised democratic principles. This conception is a more faithful reflection of human rights and individual, cultural and institutional freedoms. 

Morocco's success in gaining international recognition of the Moroccan character of the Sahara is also the result of its economic and social success based on citizen integration and sustainable development. 

Morocco's diplomatic success in convincing the major powers of the Moroccan character of the Sahara is intrinsically linked to the strength of its effective public policies in various areas of reform, ranging from justice to legislation promoting free enterprise, social support policies in housing, culture, self-employment, social coverage and the expansion of access to vocational training in rural areas, particularly for young rural women. This reformist dynamic gives Morocco the image of a state that is working hard to create an inclusive socio-economic integration process for all Moroccans.

The prospects for social and economic integration opened up by these reforms are the strength of Moroccan diplomacy, enabling it to gain recognition of the Moroccan character of the Sahara. No foreign power has any influence in foreign policy without a solid economic and social base that confers a high status on its citizens and the development of society. 

Morocco's current ability to achieve victories in defending its most important national cause, the Moroccan character of the Sahara, stems from its success in building a new depth of political legitimacy for its sovereignty over the entire national territory, including the southern provinces. This legitimacy combines the strengths of traditional foundations with those of modern foundations focused on economic development and social progress. 

Thus, Morocco's right to its Sahara is an obvious and indisputable right, but one that requires a concerted effort to unite the capabilities of society and state institutions so that it goes down in history thanks to the strength of the national culture that embodies modernity as the universalism of our time, in a specific and unique formula: the Moroccan formula. The place of law in history has always been built with effort, sweat, patience and, sometimes, blood. 

When the world sees that the Kingdom has asserted its right to complete its territorial unity through political means, committing to sincere and realistic solutions, noble dialogue based on listening and deep understanding, it will understand the philosophy of peace that inspires Moroccans and allows them today to celebrate their national victories with an outstretched hand to the supporters of peace and love in the world, with a refined and rare civilisational imprint. 

Abdellatif Ouahibi is the current Minister of Justice of Morocco

The original Arabic version was published in Elaph on 27 November 2025. 

Translated by: Lahcen Haddad