Resource and Environmental Conflict (E586)

Course Organization

Time & Location:

Tuesday, 12:15–14:00, Rigot 2

Lecturer:

Nils Petter Gleditsch
Office: Rigot 30
Office hours: Tuesdays 1515–1700
Telephone: 022 908 59 43
E-mail: nilspg@prio.no

Course Description

In this course environment is conceived in a broad sense of physical factors that condition human affairs. This includes geographical factors, such as territory and geographical distance, as well as the pattern and distribution of natural resources. The discussion will cover neomalthusian and cornucopian perspectives on conflict and cooperation over shared resources, within as well as between nations.

Requirements

Students are expected to participate actively in class and present at least one reading, orally and with a brief (2–3 pages) written summary. Any relevant article will do, preferably one that is not on the list of required readings. A course paper (around 6,000 words, including notes and references) is due on 11 June. (This deadline was originally 14 June, but has been moved up because the grading needs to be completed by 15 June.) An outline of the course paper (up to 500 words) is due on 8 May. There is no fixed format for the course paper. Three possibilities are: A replication and extension of an existing empirical study, a synthesis of existing theoretical or empirical studies, or a comparative study of two cases evaluated in the light of general theories. Article summaries, draft course papers, and final course papers should be sent in Word format to nilspg@prio.no.

Readings

Most of the required readings can be downloaded in electronic form from Jstor (www.jstor.org), from the electronic journal subscription service of the library, from the course homepage, or from other web pages. Additional material will be available in a compendium. Below, the required readings are marked L (for Library) or C (for compendium) – or a URL is provided for downloading from other sources.

Course Outline

Tuesday 13 March
1. Overview of environmental security and conflict

Readings:

• Gleditsch, Nils Petter, 2007. ‘Environmental Change, Security, and Conflict', in Chester Crocker, Fen Osler Hampson & Pamela Aall, eds, Leashing the Dogs of War: Conflict Management in a Divided World. Washington, DC: United States Institute of Peace Press, in press (C) Download article
• Khagram, Sanjeev & Saleem Ali, 2006. ‘Environment and Security', Annual Review of Environ­ment and Resources 31: 395–411 (C)
• Mack, Andrew, ed., 2005. ‘What is Human Security' (p. viii) Human Security Report 2005. War and Peace in the 21st Century. New York: Oxford University Press, for Human Security Centre, University of British Columbia, http://www.humansecurityreport.org.

Optional reading:

• Barnett, Jon, 2001. The Meaning of Environmental Security. London: Zed.

Tuesday 20 March
2. Geographical factors in conflict

Readings:

• Diehl, Paul F., 1991. ‘Geography and War: A Review and Assessment of the Empirical Literature', International Interactions 17(1): 11–27 (C) Download article
• Fearon, James D. & David D. Laitin, 2003. ‘Ethnicity, Insurgency, and Civil War', American Political Science Review 97(1): 75–90 (L)

Optional reading:

• Buhaug, Halvard & Nils Petter Gleditsch, 2006. ‘The Death of Distance? The Globalization of Armed Conflict', ch. 8 in Miles Kahler & Barbara Walter, eds, Territoriality and Conflict in an Era of Globalization. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (187–216)
• Buhaug, Halvard & Scott Gates, 2002. ‘The Geography of Civil War', Journal of Peace Research 39(4): 417–433

Tuesday 27 March
3. Neomalthusians and political ecologists

Readings:

• Hardin, Garrett, 1968. ‘The Tragedy of the Commons', Science 162: 1243–1248 (L)
• Homer-Dixon, Thomas, 1991. ‘On the Threshold: Environmental Changes as Causes of Acute Conflict, ‘ International Security 16(2): 76–116 (L)
• Kahl, Colin H., 1998. ‘Population Growth, Environmental Degradation, and State-spon­sored Viol­ence – The Case of Kenya, 1991–93', International Security 23(2): 80–119 (L)

Optional reading:

• Homer-Dixon, Thomas, 1999. Environment, Scarcity, and Conflict. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press
• Urdal, Henrik, 2005. ‘People vs Malthus: Population Pressure, Environmental Degradation and Armed Conflict Revisited', Journal of Peace Research 42(4): 417–434

Tuesday 3 April
4. Cornucopians and liberal institutionalists

Readings:

• Conca, Ken, 2001. ‘Environmental Cooperation and International peace', ch. 11 Paul F. Diehl & Nils Petter Gleditsch, eds, Environmental Conflict. Boulder, CO: Westview (225–247 + refs 295–329) (C)
• Li, Quan & Rafael Reuveny, 2006. ‘Democracy and Environmental Degradation', International Studies Quarterly 50(4): 935–956 (L)
• Lomborg, Bjørn, 2001. ‘Resource Constraints or Abundance?', ch. 7 in Paul F. Diehl & Nils Petter Gleditsch, eds, Environmental Conflict. Boulder, CO: Westview (125–154 + refs 295–329) (C)

Optional reading:

• Lomborg, Bjørn, 2001. The Skeptical Environmentalist. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Neumayer, Eric, 2002. ‘Do Democracies Exhibit Stronger Environmental Commitment? A Cross-Country Analysis' , Journal of Peace Research 39(2): 139–164
• Simon, Julian L., 1996. The Ultimate Resource 2. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

Tuesday 10 April
Easter break – no class

Tuesday 17 April
5. The resource curse school of thought

Readings:

• Sachs, Jeremy D. & Andrew M. Warner, 2001. ‘The Curse of Natural Resources',  Euro­pean Econ­omic Review 45(4–6): 827–838 (L)
• Collier, Paul & Anke Hoeffler, 2004. ‘Greed and Grievance in Civil War', Oxford Economic Papers 56(4): 563–595 (L)
• Ross, Michael L., 2004b. ‘What Do We Know About Natural Resources and Civil War?', Journal of Peace Research 41(3): 337–356 (L)

Optional reading:

• de Soysa, Indra, 2002. ‘Ecoviolence: Shrinking Pie or Honey Pot?', Global Environmental Politics 2(4): 1–34
• Mehlum, Halvor; Karl Ove Moene & Ragnar Torvik, 2006. ‘Cursed by Resources or Institutions?', World Economy, 29(8): 1117–1131

Tuesday 24 April
6. Oil and conflict

Readings:

• Michael Ross, 2006. ‘A Closer Look at Oil, Diamonds, and Civil War', Annual Review of Political Science 9: 265–300 (C)

Optional reading:

• Klare, Michael T. 2001. Resource Wars: The New Landscape of Global Conflict. New York: Metropolitan
• Smith, Benjamin B., 2004. ‘Oil Wealth and Regime Survival in the Developing World, 1960–1999', American Journal of Political Science 48(2): 232–246.

Tuesday 1 May
Public holiday – no class

Tuesday 8 May
Draft outline of course paper due
7. Diamonds and conflict

Readings:

• Lujala, Päivi; Nils Petter Gleditsch & Elisabeth Gilmore, 2005. ‘A Diamond Curse? Civil War and a Lootable Resource', Journal of Conflict Resolution 49(4): 538–562 (L)

Optional reading:

• Humphreys, Macartan, 2005. ‘Natural Resources, Conflict, and Conflict Resolution – Uncovering the Mechanisms', Journal of Conflict Resolution 49(4): 508–537
• For material on the Kimberley Process, see http://www.kimberleyprocess.com.

Tuesday 15 May
8. Water and conflict

Readings:

• Yoffe, Shira; Aaron T. Wolf & Mark Giordano, 2003. ‘Conflict and Cooperation over International Freshwater Resources: Indicators of Basins at Risk’, Journal of the American Water Resources Association 39(5): 1109–1125, www.transboundarywaters.orst.edu/publications/ Yoffe_Wolf_Giordano.pdf

Optional reading:

• Gleditsch, Nils Petter; Kathryn Furlong, Håvard Hegre, Bethany Lacina & Taylor Owen, 2006. ‘Conflicts over Shared Rivers: Resource Scarcity or Fuzzy Boundaries?', Political Geography 25(4): 361–382
• Human Development Report 2006. Beyond Scarcity: Power, Poverty, and the Global Water Crisis. Houndmills: Palgrave Macmillan, for United Nations Development Programme, http://hdr.undp.org/hdr2006/

Tuesday 22 May
9. The ecological footprint and conflict

Readings:

• Binningsbø, Helga; Indra de Soysa & Nils Petter Gleditsch, 2007. ‘Green Giant or Straw Man? En­vironmental Pressure and Civil Conflict, 1961–99', Popul­a­tion and Environment , in print (C)
• Wackernagel, Mathis, Larry Onisto, Patricia Bello, Alejandro Cllejas Linares, Ina Susana López Falfán, Jesus Méndez Garciá, Ana Isabel Suárez Guerrero & Ma. Guadaloupe Suárez Guerrero (1999). National Natural Capital Accounting with the Ecological Footprint Concept. Ecological Economics 29(3): 375–390 (L)

Optional reading:

• EAI (2005). Assessing the Ecological Footprint. A Look at the WWF's Living Planet Report 2002. Copenhagen: Environmental Assessment Institute, www.imv.dk/Files/Filer/Rapporter/ Verdens%20og%20Europas%20tilstand/ecological_footprint.pdf
• Neumayer, Eric, 2004. ‘Indicators of Sustainability', in , T. Tietenberg & H. Folmer, eds, International Yearbook of Environmental and Resource Economics. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar (139–188)

Tuesday 29 May
10. Climate change and conflict

Readings:

• Barnett, Jon & Neil Adger, 2005. 'Security and Climate Change: Towards an Improved Under­stand­ing', paper presented to the international workshop on human security and climate change, Holmen nr. Oslo, 21–23 June, http://www.cicero.uio.no/humsec

Optional reading:

• For publications from the IPCC, see http://www.ipcc.ch/. Particularly relevant is the volume from Working Group II of the Third Assessment Report, http://www.grida.no/climate/ipcc_tar/wg2/index.htm
• For the Stern review on the economics of climate change, see http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/independent_reviews/ stern_review_economics_climate_change/ sternreview_index.cfm
• For William Nordhaus’ critique of the Stern Review, see http://nordhaus.econ.yale.edu/SternReviewD2.pdf
• See also additional papers from http://www.cicero.uio.no/humsec

Tuesday 5 June
University holiday. No class

Tuesday 12 June
11. Summary and overview

(Class meeting on 12 June cancelled because of the new deadline for the course paper.)

Thursday 11 June
Course paper due