UN Rights & AI: Sahrawi human rights defender Aminatou Haidar told the UN Human Rights Council that Morocco’s rapid AI and digital tools are being used to intensify surveillance, harassment, and exclusion of Sahrawi women defenders in Western Sahara. Diplomacy & Self-Determination: A new analysis argues Chile under Gabriel Boric retreated from self-determination and human-rights principles on Western Sahara, citing denial of recognition to the SADR and silence on alleged abuses. AI Literacy Debate: At the ELI Morocco Forum 2026, economist Guillermo Taboada challenged “Slow AI” thinking, warning that misuse of AI can make societies “dumber” and calling for better governance. Politics in the Americas: Colombia’s rightward shift after Abelardo de la Espriella’s win puts Petro’s Polisario policy under scrutiny, after Petro restored recognition of the SADR and ties in 2022. Defense Tech & Funding: The US Senate’s FY2027 NDAA includes a binding 10-year plan to deepen defense cooperation with Morocco, covering joint exercises, runway refurbishments, drone-related modernization, and more military drills. Regional Security Spending: Another report highlights Morocco’s defense modernization with Israeli-linked ventures alongside Algeria’s record $25B military spending, framing a widening arms race. History & Research: A Hungarian-published book, “Western Sahara and Hungary,” draws on Eastern European communist archives to document the territory’s history and decolonization.