Wars of plunder: conflicts, profits and the politics of resources

Abstract

In Wars of Plunder, Philippe Le Billon investigates relationships between resources and conflict. The book’s main argument is “that resource sectors influence the likelihood and course of armed conflicts. In short, some resources make wars more likely, nasty, and lengthy” – but this straightforward statement belies the complexity of the analysis that follows (4). Le Billon uses the rare combination of econometric and political ecology approaches to explore conflicts involving oil, diamonds and timber, and draws on an equally diverse professional background to consider strategic responses. In doing so he advocates a hybrid understanding of resources that emphasises both their social and material character, and an expanded definition of violence that includes structural, social, physical, and environmental forms.