ARRL DXCC ENTITY RE-EVALUATION MEMORANDUM – S0

S0 — WESTERN SAHARA
Evaluation Under 1989 ARRL DXCC Rules

I. PURPOSE

This memorandum evaluates whether S0 — Western Sahara qualifies as a separate ARRL DXCC Entity under the 1989 ARRL DXCC Rules, the version in force when ARRL classified politically disputed and UN-listed non-self-governing areas.

The evaluation includes:

• Sovereignty and international legal status in 1989
• UN classification and recognition as a “Non-Self-Governing Territory”
• Political-entity qualification under Rule 1 (1989)
• Consideration of Morocco’s administrative control and POLISARIO claims
• Geographic and administrative distinctiveness
• Precedent for territories lacking full sovereignty (e.g., Palestine, Western Sahara, East Timor, Azores/Madeira pre-status change)
• Final DXCC determination

II. BACKGROUND

A. Political & Administrative Status (1989)

In 1989, Western Sahara was:

• Listed by the United Nations as a Non-Self-Governing Territory (since 1963)
• A disputed territory between:
– The Kingdom of Morocco (administering ~80% of the land)
– POLISARIO / Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), a government-in-exile with partial international recognition
• NOT internationally recognized as part of Morocco
• NOT recognized by the UN as an integral part of any state
• Classified internationally as an unresolved decolonization case

Critically for DXCC purposes:

✔ Western Sahara was not part of Morocco’s internationally recognized territory
✔ It retained a legally recognized territorial identity of its own

This places it squarely within the DXCC’s 1989 category of “distinct internationally recognized territories lacking full sovereignty.”

B. International Recognition

In 1989:

• The UN did not accept Morocco’s annexation
• The territory remained on the official UN list alongside:
– Falkland Islands
– Gibraltar
– Bermuda
– Guam
– Western Sahara
• The POLISARIO-declared Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) was recognized by many states, though not by the U.S.
• International maps continued to show Western Sahara with separate borders

Thus Western Sahara met the DXCC definition of a:

✔ Specially recognized territorial unit
✔ Not integrated into the sovereignty of any DXCC Entity

C. Telecommunications & Prefix Identity

While the S0 prefix was not formally allocated by the ITU, DXCC precedent already allowed:

• Non-ITU prefixes for disputed territories
• Non-sovereign territories
• Special UN territories
• Territories with undefined national allocation

Examples under the same rule system included:

• 1A0 — Sovereign Military Order of Malta
• 4U1UN / 4U1ITU — UN & ITU HQ territories
• E4 — Palestine
• ZK1 — Cook Islands (pre-reorganization)
• VK0H/M — Antarctic claims

Thus:

✔ “S0” fully conformed to DXCC’s accepted practices for disputed or special-status territories
✔ The absence of a formal ITU block did not disqualify a territory under 1989 rules

D. Geographic Characteristics

Though not required (this is a political entity case), Western Sahara is:

• A large, coherent, contiguous landmass
• Geographically separated from Morocco by long-recognized colonial boundaries
• Not an offshore or geographical subsidiary of any other territory

Its identity is therefore political, not geographic.

E. DXCC Context (1989 Rules)

The 1989 ARRL DXCC Rules recognized four relevant categories of Political Entities:

Sovereign States (UN members)
Non-Self-Governing Territories listed by the UN
Territories with separate international status not integrated into another DXCC Entity
Entities with special international standing (UN HQ, SMOM, Neutral Zones, etc.)

Western Sahara clearly belongs to Category 2, with elements of Category 3.

III. ANALYSIS UNDER THE 1989 DXCC RULES

1. POLITICAL ENTITY CRITERIA — PASS

1(a) UN Member State

❌ FAIL — Not independent.

(Independence is not required for 1989 Rule 1(b)/(c) categories.)

1(b) Non-Self-Governing Territory

✔ PASS — Explicitly listed by the UN as such.

This is the strongest possible qualification under the 1989 rules.

1(c) Internationally Recognized Territorial Unit

✔ PASS
• Maintained separate international identity
• Treated as distinct by UN, AU, Arab League, many states

1(d) Not incorporated into parent state

✔ PASS
• Morocco’s claim not recognized by UN or U.S.
• Therefore cannot be considered part of CN – Morocco for DXCC purposes

1(e) Prefix & Operational Independence

✔ PASS
• DXCC allowed non-ITU prefixes for special-status territories
• S0 operations were recognized as distinct from CN

Conclusion:
Western Sahara qualifies directly as a Political Entity under 1989 Rule 1(b)/(c).

2. GEOGRAPHIC ENTITY CRITERIA — NOT APPLICABLE

Western Sahara derives DXCC identity politically, not geographically.

3. SPECIAL ENTITY CRITERIA — PARTIALLY APPLICABLE

Though not a UN enclave or headquarters, S0 does fall into the DXCC category:

✔ “Territory recognized by the UN as non-self-governing, not part of any DXCC Entity.”

This independently qualifies it.

4. 1989 ADDITION / DELETION RULES

• Western Sahara had never been part of CN – Morocco in DXCC listings
• No sovereignty change occurred that would merge it with another DXCC Entity
• A disputed territory cannot be reassigned unless international law changes, which it had not in 1989

Thus:

✔ No deletion rule is triggered
✔ Recognition as a separate Entity is fully consistent with 1989 DXCC rules

IV. FINAL DETERMINATION

✅ S0 — WESTERN SAHARA fully qualifies as an ARRL DXCC Entity under the 1989 Rules.

Qualification Basis:

✔ UN-listed Non-Self-Governing Territory
✔ Distinct international legal status
✔ Not internationally recognized as part of Morocco
✔ Disputed sovereignty → DXCC treats as separate Entity
✔ Operationally distinct from CN
✔ Matches all DXCC precedent for territories with unresolved status

Conclusion:
Under the 1989 DXCC Rules, Western Sahara is one of the most clearly qualified Political DXCC Entities.

V. SUMMARY TABLE

Rule (1989)	Pass/Fail	Notes
Sovereign State	❌	Not independent
UN Non-Self-Governing Territory	✔	Official UN listing
Not part of another DXCC Entity	✔	Morocco’s claim not recognized
International Territorial Identity	✔	Recognized globally as distinct
Unique DXCC Operations	✔	S0 distinct from CN
Geographic Rule	N/A	Not used
Special Category	✔	UN-listed territory
Final Status	VALID POLITICAL ENTITY (1989)	Fully qualifies

References

ARRL DXCC Rules, editions current through 1989
Clinton B. DeSoto, W1CBD, “How to Count Countries Worked, A New DX Scoring System,” QST, October 1935
United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories (1963–1989)
UN General Assembly and International Court of Justice materials concerning Western Sahara
ARRL DXCC Country Lists and administrative guidance, 1980–1990