| Publication |
Spring 2004.
|
| Description |
p213-241
|
| Summary/Abstract |
Sierra Leone provides an example of a current geopolitical reality in which both a state and an insurrection developed similar characteristics of predatory behaviour as they competed for a dispersed, accessible resource - in this case, diamonds. A conflict of this type can be sustained for extended periods if it is part of a larger global system that provides both markets for the resource and weapons. Unfortunately, the two contenders in this contest, offlcial state and insurgency, have used creative strategies to stave off defeat, initiate new rounds of combat and so perpetuated the ongoing violence and destruction. The civilian population caught in this kind of cauldron has few choices - participate in the carnage, flee, or suffer brutality. Unless the resource itself is exhausted, the termination of a resource-based confrontation is likely to come from the involvement of the international community, including the UN, individual governments, and transnational companies. A combination of interventions such as boycotts, trade restrictions, peacekeeping efforts and even a military role may be required to terminate resource wars. Yet even now, when the conflict in Sierra Leone seems to have been resolved, the social and economic changes brought about by the war and circumstances that prevail in the wider region make it difficult for the country to recreate the peace and security of past decades.
|