Geopolitics of Resource Wars

Download or read book Geopolitics of Resource Wars written by Philippe Le Billon and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2005 with total page 277 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A wealth of natural resources such as oil or diamonds should, in theory, favor a country's economic and social development. And yet, 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. Highlighting the multiple forms of violence accompanying the history of resources exploitation and current business practices supporting predatory regimes, insurgent groups and terrorists, this book covers a wide range of case studies including the geopolitics of oil control inthe Middle East, Central Asia and Columbia, spaces of governance and 'petro-violence' in Nigeria and 'blood diamonds' and other minerals associated with conflicts in Sierra Leone and the Congo.