000 02379nam a2200253 a 4500
001 ASIN1849041458
003 OSt
005 20170105102909.0
008 131025s2011 xxu eng d
020 _a1849041458 (paperback)
_c$45.00
020 _a9781849041454 (paperback)
040 _aa
050 0 4 _aHB195
082 0 4 _a333.7
_bBIL 2011
100 1 _aBillon, Philippe Le.
245 1 0 _aWars of plunder :
_bconflicts, profits and the politics of resources. philippe le billon /
_cPhilippe Le Billon.
260 _a[S.l.] :
_bHurst & Co.,
_c2011.
300 _a288 p. ;
_c22 cm.
520 _aFrom Angola and Liberia to Iraq and the Congo, wars have taken place in resource rich countries full of poor people. In Wars of Plunder Philippe Le Billon explores how resources have shaped recent conflicts, and what the international community has tried to do about it. Focusing on key resources-oil, diamonds, and timber-he argues that resources and wars are linked in three main ways. First, resource revenues finance belligerents, a trend that has become all the more conspicuous since the withdrawal of Cold War foreign sponsorship in the late 1980s. Although the 'War on Terror' has redefined military assistance and the internationalisation of war, many belligerents continue to rely on and profit from 'conflict resources'. Second, resource exploitation generates conflict. As global demand for raw materials has sharply increased, competition over critical resources such as oil has resulted in a flurry of 'resource conflicts', from local community struggles against mining multinationals to regional and international tensions. Third, economic shocks and poor governance sharply increase the risk of war (the 'resource curse'). While today's resource boom is a major economic opportunity for resource rich but poor countries, reliance on resource exports often implies sharp economic downturns. Not all resources are the same, however, and effective responses are at hand. Sanctions, military interventions and wealth sharing have helped bring an end to conflicts, yet only deeper domestic and international reforms in resource governance can stop the plunder.
650 0 _aNatural resources--Political aspects
650 0 _aWar--Economic aspects
856 4 0 _3Amazon.com
_uhttp://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1849041458/chopaconline-20
942 _2ddc
_cBK
999 _c15045
_d15045