Sahara: why does Trump’s return worry Spain?

Spanish experts agree that the return of Donald Trump as head of the United States should be a game-changer in the Sahara conflict. The new American president, who was the first to recognize the Moroccan nature of the Sahara in 2020, could use his influence to obtain broader support from the international community for the Moroccan autonomy plan.

Could Donald Trump put pressure on certain countries like Spain to get them to officially recognize Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara? According to experts, if Spain ended up expressing in March 2022 its support for the Moroccan autonomy plan for this territory, considered “the most serious, credible and realistic basis” for resolving this conflict, it is largely partly because of Donald Trump who showed the way by formalizing his recognition of the Moroccan nature of the Sahara in December 2020, barely a month before leaving the presidency.