Author/Editor: Albert L. Seligmann

Publisher/Sponsor: Foreign Service Institute
Supplier: Department of State
Report Date: 1976
Document Number: –
Classification: Unclassified
Nautilus Filing Number: 767
Box Number: 25

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Description:

In his 1976 report, Seligmann discusses the complexities of decolonization.  Using the example of the Spanish withdrawal from the Sahara area, which led to territorial conflicts between the locals who vied for the newly available power, Seligmann highlights the dynamics of post-colonial power struggles, the details of withdrawal of the colonial government, and the retention of certain colonial social policies among, many other things. Lastly, Seligmann focuses on the effects of decolonization on the international community and problems that may arise.

“In the months following the November 14 tripartite agreement hostilities between the Algerian-supported “liberation movement,” the Polisario Front, and the Moroccan and Mauritanian forces that displaced the Spanish have continued, and on February 27, the Polisario’s leaders proclaimed the Saharan Democratic Arab Republic.” [p. 11]

This report was released to the Nautilus Institute under the US Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).