The Watchmaker of the Sahara: How Morocco Learned to Master Time
Some diplomatic victories are achieved in a matter of days. Others take decades.
The United Nations Security Council Resolution 2797 must be viewed through this lens. Behind what may seem like a singular vote lies a strategy built over the long term, grounded in consistency and patience, but also in decisions made at moments when they could have the most impact.
This is the idea articulated by Mr. Abdelhak Bassou in his analysis published by the Policy Center for the New South, titled “Chronos” and “Kairos” in the Management of the Moroccan Sahara Issue: Mastering Time in the Royal Strategy.
Two words from ancient Greece encapsulate this approach.
Chronos is the time that flows, measured in years and decades.
Kairos is the opportune moment, one that must be recognized and seized.
The history of the Moroccan Sahara issue illustrates how these two dimensions can complement each other.
The Long Game
Since the Green March in 1975, Morocco has navigated particularly tumultuous periods.
The world has changed. The Cold War came to an end. Alliances shifted. Governments changed in major capitals. New powers emerged.
Yet, Rabat has maintained a consistent strategic line concerning the Sahara issue.
This continuity has not prevented crises from arising.
There were the hesitations of various U.S. administrations, different UN proposals, the Baker Plan, and more recently, discussions about the evolving role of the United Nations.
At every stage, Morocco chose to stay the course.
But waiting did not equate to inaction.
As negotiations continued, the ground underwent transformation.
Building While the World Debates
Roads, infrastructure, urban development, investments, energy, and economic activities: the southern provinces experienced profound change.
Dakhla and Laâyoune gradually transformed.
The future Atlantic port of Dakhla, expressways, and energy projects reflect this desire to connect southern Morocco more closely with its regional environment, particularly West Africa.
The choice was clear: do not wait for a political solution to begin constructing the future.
This is perhaps where time genuinely becomes a strategy.
A negotiation can last ten years.
But infrastructure built during those ten years remains a tangible reality.
Then Comes the Time to Act
However, the long game is not enough.
It is essential to also recognize when the time for waiting must give way to action.
The situation at Guergarat in November 2020 provides a significant illustration.
After several weeks of traffic blockages in this strategic area, Morocco intervened to restore passage.
The intervention was swift.
The message was clear: patience does not mean forgoing action when a situation becomes untenable.
This is where Kairos comes into play.
The right moment is not necessarily the first moment.
It is the moment when action becomes more effective than waiting.
Transforming Opportunity into Momentum
Weeks later, in December 2020, the American recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara opened a new diplomatic chapter.
Morocco did not simply celebrate this decision.
It sought to transform it into momentum.
African, Arab, and Latin American countries reinforced their diplomatic presence in the southern provinces. Consulates were opened in Laâyoune and Dakhla.
Then Europe began to shift its position.
Spain in 2022.
France in 2024.
Other capitals subsequently expressed converging or more favorable views towards Morocco’s proposal for autonomy.
Individually, each of these changes may seem limited.
Together, they narrate a profound evolution.
When Patience Becomes Strength
Diplomacy is not always a sprint.
At times, it resembles a game of chess.
One must know when to advance.
One may need to retreat at times.
Above all, one must know how to wait.
But waiting never means abandoning the initiative.
Chronos prepares the groundwork.
Kairos allows one to seize the opportunity.
One builds strength.
The other enables its utilization.
The Lesson of Time
This may be what gives Resolution 2797 its particular significance today.
It did not emerge in a vacuum.
It is part of a narrative that began fifty years ago, marked by crises, investments, diplomatic repositioning, and the gradual evolution of power dynamics.
Time, which once seemed an adversary, has gradually become an ally.
Morocco did not merely wait for the years to pass.
It Used Them to Build.
And perhaps this, in essence, is the image of the watchmaker.
He does not control time.
He cannot stop it.
He observes its movement, adjusts his mechanism, and awaits the precise moment when the hand reaches the right position.
Then he acts.
In international relations, power does not solely consist of knowing what to do.
It also involves understanding when to do it.
And sometimes, the best way to win a battle is to make time itself your ally.
