Semester
Fall
Date of Graduation
2025
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Type
PhD
College
Eberly College of Arts and Sciences
Department
Political Science
Committee Chair
Joe Hagan
Committee Co-Chair
Hershel Thomas
Committee Member
John Kilwein
Committee Member
Robert Duval
Abstract
ABSTRACT
The Position of the United States of America Vis-à-vis the Question of Western Sahara: Assessing the Role of Think Tanks in the Conflict
Hamid Baadeche
Think tank organizations, particularly in the United States, have become a prominent feature of the political landscape. They act as advocates for specific policies that they consider beneficial for the country or a particular societal group. They function as a primary source of information, which they then aim to transform into well-informed policies and sound decisions. They are referred to as "the revolving doors," "idea brokers," and "idea factory." As such, their foremost objective is to influence government policies and provide guidance to decision-makers to endorse and implement a specific plan of action. This dissertation looks explicitly at this role played by U.S. think tanks and their engagement in influencing U.S. policies regarding the question of Western Sahara. A protracted dispute between the Polisario Front and Morocco over the North African territory has persisted for decades, with numerous proposed solutions failing to achieve a lasting resolution between the two sides. I argue that the United States' position and policy decisions regarding the territorial dispute over Western Sahara between the Polisario Front and Morocco have been profoundly shaped by think tank perspectives since the conflict's inception. The U.S. foreign policy's fluctuating positions on this issue highlight the influence and significance of competing think tank factions and the magnitude of their rivalry within the marketplace of ideas. As a result, the American foreign policy approach to the Moroccan-Saharawi conflict demonstrates the impact, relevance, and role of particular think tanks in molding U.S. foreign policy preferences and outcomes through various means and across different stages, spanning both the U.S. policymaking and the conflict's evolution. The phenomenon of fluctuations in U.S. foreign policy regarding the conflict is the outcome of competing think tanks’ ideas, which successive U.S. administrations adopt and implement as official policies.
Recommended Citation
Baadeche, Hamid, "The Position of the United States of America vis-a-vis the Question of Western Sahara: Assessing the Role of Think Tanks in the Conflict" (2025). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 13105.
https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/13105
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