Western Sahara: USA

In spite of Morocco's fabrications that an independent Western Sahara could become a haven for Al Qaida and other terror organizations, president Barack Obama, back in July, indicated to Morocco--in a letter asking Mohammed VI for help with the Middle East process no less--that he supports a Polisaro state, thus reversing the Bush administration's support for the Moroccan plan for Sahrawi autonomy under Morocco. In response, a Moroccan commenter had this to say:

If Obama is for an independent state in Western Sahara, he has no real experience in the region. This problem would never had existed without the support of Algeria. We Moroccans don’t care what M. Obama and M. Bouteflika think. We believe that the Western Sahara Belongs to us and we belong to her. The U.S. policy is made by lobbying. Algeria seems to have a lot of money to spend.

That is so not true. A report released by Pro Publica in August tracking foreign lobbyist influence in Washington had this to say:

Toby Moffett, a lobbyist for Morocco who served as a Democratic congressman from Connecticut in the 1970s and ’80s, wrote an op-ed for the April 8, 2007, edition of The Los Angeles Times,explaininghow he presented Morocco’s position to an unnamed member of Congress: “Morocco has a good story to tell,” he wrote. “It believes that the long-standing dispute with Algeria and the rebel Polisario group over the Western Sahara must be resolved. “We tell the congresswoman and her staff that the region is becoming a possible Al Qaeda training area,” he wrote. “Algeria and the Polisario recently hired lobbyists, too, so we’ll have our hands full.”

Indeed, records show the Algerian government’s lobbyists had 36 contacts with members of Congress and staff promoting self-determination for the people of Western Sahara. The Algerians paid a modest $416,000 in lobbying fees. By comparison, lobbyists for the government of Morocco had 305 contacts with members of Congress and their staff. Morocco paid $3.4 million in lobbying expenses — putting it among the top foreign government spenders for FARA filings in the period.

The intense campaign won converts. A bipartisan group of some 173 House members signed on to a statement supporting Morocco’s offer of autonomy for the region without formal independence. President Bush also expressed support for Morocco’s plan in summer of 2008. And this April, 229 representatives sent a letter to President Obama urging him to back Morocco. Until Obama reversed Bush’s stance last month, Morocco’s investment worked.

H/T: The Arabist