Two recent reports confirms the role of natural resources in armed conflict. One UN, one academic. From UN’s report on the importance of the environment in conflict and peacebuilding: Since the end of the Cold War, at least eighteen violent conflicts have been driven by the exploitation of natural resources. While political and military issues…
Equatorial Guinea: Oil found yesterday, coup attempted today
Mega-disclaimer: I haven’t looked into the details. These two pieces of news may very well be entirely unrelated. Or they could be completely entwined. In any case when such news converge I simply have to take note. For starters how about a usually credible source: BBC / Mystery over E Guinea gun battle An unidentified…
2nd Iraqi oil conflict?
The closest U.S. allies in Iraq — the Kurds — feel abandoned by Washington these days and say war with the Arab-dominated central government is likely without American pressure to resolve disputes that predate even the era of Saddam Hussein. Tension between the Arabs and Kurds is multifaceted, but one of the major flashpoints is…
Diamonds: Conflict, blood, war
News Valentines diamonds to die for: Precious gem could come from a child worker like Ali, 13 Ali Tarawally should be rich beyond most people’s wildest dreams. The orphan has spent the past three years scouring the jungle of Sierra Leone – one of the most abundant places for diamonds on the planet – digging…
Shell Gas Plant in Nigeria Attacked by Militants
Nigeria’s main militant group said it attacked a gas plant operated by Royal Dutch Shell Plc, Europe’s second-largest oil company. The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, or MEND, attacked the Utorogun site today, it said in an e-mailed statement. Precious Okolobo, a Shell spokesman in Nigeria, confirmed the attack. “We’re carrying out…
Indian analysis: “USA might have benefited a great deal from its [lost] war in Afghanistan”
What hits Russian interests most is that if the Caucasian route materialises, the US would have consolidated its military presence in South Caucasus on a long-term basis. Ever since the conflict in the Caucasus in August, the US has maintained a continuous naval presence in the Black Sea, with regular port calls in Georgia. The…
Iceland: Economy down, exploitation up
Issue Iceland To Increase Illegal Killing of Endangered Fin Whales Last year, Iceland killed nine endangered Fin whales. A few months back they began exporting the meat from the endangered whales to Japan, which is a clear violation of international law. This year, they want to kill 150. Iceland’s whale-hunting increase sparks outcry among conservationists…
War and Natural Gas: The Israeli Invasion and Gaza’s Offshore Gas Fields
The BG Group drilled two wells in 2000: Gaza Marine-1 and Gaza Marine-2. Reserves are estimated by British Gas to be of the order of 1.4 trillion cubic feet, valued at approximately 4 billion dollars. These are the figures made public by British Gas. The size of Palestine’s gas reserves could be much larger. […]…
Countries in tug-of-war over Arctic resources
One of the planet’s most fragile and pristine ecosystems sits atop a bounty of untapped fossil fuels.
Tennessee, USA: Activists Detained For Taking Ash Spill Photographs
Two environmental activists were detained by the Tennessee Valley Authority police for photographing the site of last weeks ash spill. While it does not appear that they will be charged with crimes, they were unable to document the ash spill’s effects on the area and its water supply.
Martial law of the jungle – When defending the environment means calling in the military
some green thinkers are now coming to a surprising conclusion: In exceptional circumstances, they say, the only effective way to protect the environment may be at the barrel of a gun. […] in certain cases of severe ecological harm, the international community may be justified in mustering troops to intervene, with or without the permission…
Fiddling with words – Climate-change diplomacy
IMAGINE that some huge rocky projectile, big enough to destroy most forms of life, was hurtling towards the earth, and it seemed that deep international co-operation offered the only hope of deflecting the lethal object. Presumably, the nations of the world would set aside all jealousies and ideological hangups, knowing that failure to act together…