Diplomats have struggled to broker negotiations over the disputed territory of Western Sahara since late 2020. Widening differences between Morocco and the pro-independence Polisario Front, as well as mounting tensions between Morocco and the Front’s main sponsor, Algeria, have narrowed UN Envoy Staffan de Mistura’s room for manoeuvre.

But renewed negotiations to reach a settlement on the disputed territory could be within grasp with stonger U.S. backing. Given its diplomatic heft and good relations with both sides, the U.S. should overcome its reluctance to spend political capital on what it sees as a low-priority conflict, step up its engagement and design a series of steps that could prepare the terrain for substantive talks on Western Sahara.