Natural resource exploitation in Western Sahara: new research directions

The authors wish to thank the Leverhulme Trust (through their Early Career scheme) and the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitivity, (CSO2017-86986-P, AEI/FEDER, UE) for funding this research. We would also like to thank Patricia Lalonde for her translations and editorial work, as well as all participants of the 'Analysis of the Management and Exploitation of Natural Resources in Situations of Conflict: The Case of Western Sahara' project (funded by the aforementioned ministry), for their constructive comments on earlier iterations of this paper.This review article provides an overview of research to date with an explicit focus on natural resource exploitation in Western Sahara. It integrates findings from various perspectives and disciplines, and synthesises the research done with a view to revealing gaps and, therefore, potential new research directions. As the issue of natural resource exploitation in Western Sahara has been conceptualised in very different ways and from the perspectives of a variety of disciplines, the authors have opted for a semi-systematic review of the work done encompassing academic, non-academic, and activist backgrounds.Leverhulme TrustSpanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitivity (AEI/FEDER, UE) CSO2017-86986-