Morocco's Strategic Use of Soft Power, Primarily with the United Nations in the Western Sahara Occupation

Morocco strategically uses soft power to reinforce its sovereignty claim over Western Sahara, focusing on engagement with the United Nations and the broader international community. Through Morocco’s economic soft power in its phosphate industry, overpowering hegemony, and continuous autonomy proposals to gain sovereignty and international favor, Morocco has sought to legitimize its position globally while countering opposing beliefs. Western Sahara has experienced this control of soft power, emphasized through liberalism in UN external assistance, restricted development, and its pursuit of self-determination within the bounds of the United Nations. Through institutional frameworks, Security Council dynamics, and postcolonial control, the analysis draws on case studies of UN negotiations, international diplomacy, and Morocco’s outreach efforts. This paper highlights Morocco's soft power usage to influence international perspectives on Western Sahara and garner political and economic support, mirroring other conflicts worldwide.