Description
The paper discusses how natural resources can either help or hinder a country's development, and how this can lead to conflicts. It also discusses how resource-dependent countries are more likely to experience conflicts, and how these conflicts can have a negative impact on the development of the country. The paper calls for a reform agenda that focuses on the basic needs of local populations in order to help prevent conflicts from happening in the first place.
A generous endowment of natural resources should favor rapid economic and social development. The experience of countries like Angola and Iraq, however, suggests that resource wealth often proves a curse rather than a blessing. Billions of dollars from resource exploitation benefit repressive regimes and rebel groups, at a massive cost for local populations. This
Adelphi Paper analyzes the economic and political vulnerability of resource-dependent countries; assesses how resources influence the likelihood and course of conflicts; and discusses current initiatives to improve resource governance in the interest of peace. It concludes that long-term stability in resource-exporting regions will depend on their developmental outcomes, and calls for a broad reform agenda prioritizing the basic needs and security of local populations.
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