BOOK REVIEW: The Self-Determination Delusion: How Activist Scholars and Journalists Have Hijacked the Western Sahara Case

Abstract

The United Nations (UN) Security Council resolution 2797, adopted on October 31, 2025, was a historic turning point in the Western Sahara case1 , to the extent that Morocco declared the same day a national day (The Day of Unity). For the first time, the international community supports the Moroccan initiative “autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty” as a sole basis for negotiations on the Western Sahara issue, which means that all traditional approaches based on referendum or independence are not acceptable in the UN. Before this resolution, there had been a very long period for missed opportunities, and many confrontations between the parties of the Sahara conflict including scholars and journalists. This period formed the historical and thematic framework for Samir Bennis’s book titled “The Self-Determination Delusion: How Activist scholars and Journalists Have Hijacked the Western Sahara Case”, published in July 2024. The 575-page book seems to have anticipated resolution 2797.

Keywords

Self-Determination, Activist Scholars

Citation

Elabbassi, A. 2026. Review of The Self-Determination Delusion: How Activist Scholars and Journalists Have Hijacked the Western Sahara Case, by Samir Bennis. Uluslararası İlişkiler, Advanced Online Publication, 2 July 2026: 1–3. DOI: 10.33458/uidergisi.1972463

Affiliations

Abdessamad Elabbassi Professor, University of Moulay Ismail, Meknes E-Mail : [email protected] Orcid: 0009-0003-6622-2300