The Geopolitics of ‘Resource Wars’: Resource Dependence, Governance, and Violence
Edited by: Philippe Le Billon, Liu Faculty, UBC
July 12, 2005
From the oil fields of the Persian Gulf to the diamond mines of West Africa, millions of people in resource rich countries have seen their lives devastated as a result of exploitative commercial relations, corrupt governance, and war. Going beyond conventional arguments of violent competition over scarce resources, this edited volume provides critical perspectives on so-called ‘resource wars? It engages with the ‘resource curse?affecting many resource-dependent countries, multiple forms of violence in resources exploitation, and business practices supporting predatory regimes, insurgent groups, and terrorists. Chapters include conceptual overviews by Philippe Le Billon and Rick Auty, as well as case studies on Iraq, Colombia, Central Asia, and Africa by Fouad El-Khatib, Leslie Wirpsa and Thad Dunning, Sarah O’Hara, Shanon O’Lear, Michael Watts, Marilyn Silberfein, and Kevin Dunn.
Philippe Le Billon is Assistant Professor at the University of British Columbia with the Department of Geography and the Liu Institute on Global Issues. A former Research Associate at the International Institute for Strategic Studies and the Overseas Development Institute, he is the author of Fuelling War: Natural Resources and Armed Conflicts.
