After years of diplomatic tensions, France has reversed course on its decades-old position by recognising Morocco’s sovereignty over the Western Sahara. In late July, Paris formally endorsed Morocco’s autonomy plan for the disputed territory, declaring that “the present and future of Western Sahara fall within the framework of Moroccan sovereignty.” As expected, Algeria promptly recalled its ambassador and hinted at possible sanctions against Paris. France initially gave a nod to Morocco’s autonomy plan when Rabat presented it to the UN in 2007. However, in recent years, Paris had kept quiet o…