1. U.S. Agency for International Development, “Minerals and Conflict,” Washington, D.C.: USAID, 2004, pp. 1-15. Access/Download here.
Recommended
2. Michael L. Ross, What Do We Know About Natural Resources and Civil War?”, Journal of Peace Research, vol. 41, no. 3, 2004, pp. 337–356. Access/Download here.
II. Lecture Powerpoint Slides
Click the image below to access slides (in JPG format). You may download and view them as a Slideshow too!
Produced by the Pulitzer Center, "Congo's Bloody Coltan" is a quick glimpse at coltan's role in Congo's civil war. It was featured on "Foreign Exchange with Fareed Zakaria" in the Fall of 2006. Coltan refers to Columbite-Tantalite, a metallic mineral used for the production of consumer electronics.
5. Make it Quick - Blood Diamond
This scene highlights how diamonds are considered "lootable" resources, thus affecting the intensity and duration of a conflict. View video through this link.
6. The Real Blood Diamond in Sierra Leone (National Geographic)
The Hollywood movie is set around actual historic events. See the reality: problems with diamond prospecting and diamond smuggling plagued the Western Africa nation of Sierra Leone, even after its civil war ended.
A year after Myanmar's saffron revolution was crushed, CNN's Dan Rivers reports how rubies are propping up the junta.
8. Jewels of the Junta (Oct 2007)
Most of the world's finished rubies originate in Burma. It is well known how the proceeds from sales of diamonds or oil can subsidize civil war and corrupt regimes, but less well known is how the international ruby trade sustains the Burmese junta.
9. NGO Perspective on Mining and Community Development
Karen Hayes, program director for Pact Democratic Republic of Congo, takes a new perspective on extractive industries and building partnerships to do development at the community level for collective impact. Visit their website at www.pactworld.org for more.
10. Carmen de la Frontera Community Referendum 01
Documentary videospot to support the referendum, which will be held on 16th of september in the districts Carmen de la frontera and Ayabaca to give the people a chance to decide wheater they want a model of development based on mining.
11. Carmen de la Frontera Community Referendum 02
Community referendum held on September 16th, 2007 in the city of Sapalache, province of Carmen de la Frontera in the state of Piura, northern Peru.
The referendum was organized by the municipality in the hopes of peacefully resolving the conflict between the community and the Majaz mining company. The company plans to construct a massive copper mine in a fragile cloud forest that supplies water to the entire region.
12. Wangari Maathai - Resources and Conflict (Fora TV, Oct 30, 2006)
Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai speaks on the relationship between scarce natural resources and global conflict.
Wangari Maathai on "Unbowed: A Memoir" Wangari Maathai, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004, is the founder of the Green Belt Movement in her home country of Kenya, an environmental group that has restored indigenous forests and assisted rural women by paying them to plant trees in their communities. Since 1977, it has planted more than 30 million trees in Kenya and has been replicated in dozens of other African countries.
For more info and to view full video, go to this link.
V. Review Points
Define the following terms:
Resource Curse
Resource War
Dutch Disease
VI. Discussion Questions
What are the three primary ways that valuable minerals are linked to violent conflict?
What are some lessons learned and policy recommendations given by the "Minerals and Conflict"USAID report?
Discuss the role of Civil Society organizations such as NGOs in your home country that works for community issues dealing with environment damages, mining and chemical poisoning, etc.
2. A World of Conflict: Sri Lanka by Kevin Sites (Yahoo Video)
Kevin Sites covered Sri Lanka as violence erupted between the government and Tamil Tiger rebels, pushing a nation with so much to lose back to the brink of all-out war.
3. News of Civil War between Sri Lankan Government & the LTTE (CNN)
This is the CNN news coverage on Civil War in Sri Lanka Between Sri Lankan Government and Tamil Tigers.
4. Sri Lanka Conflict 'Coming to an End Soon' (BBC)
Sri Lanka's government says it is winning the fight against Tamil Tigers rebels, after a quarter of a century of conflict.Over the years war has become a way of life for many families in the country. Roland Buerk reports.
6. Sri Lanka President Kumaratunga interview with Hard Talk 2007 (BBC)
Chandrika Kumaratunga was the president of Sri Lanka from 1999 to 2005. HardTalk spoke to her less than two months after the September 11 attacks. At the time, the US and its allies were attempting to build a world coalition against terrorism. Tim Sebastian asked Mrs Kumaratunga about Sri Lanka's own efforts to fight terrorism, and the impact that's had on the country's human rights.
For more detailed maps of Iraq, the Middle East and the rest of the world, you may visit the University of Texas Libraries website through this link.
1. Middle East Political Map (2003)
2. Iraq Political Map (1976)
B. Videos and Slides - Lecture on the Iraq War
1. Iraq War Montage: The Road to Iraq (WWMT - Mar 20, 2003)
2. Lecture Slides: Chronology of Events Timeline (BBC)
Click the images below to enlarge and download the slides.
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3. President Bush Announcing Iraq War (MS NBC)
4. Brutality under Saddam Regime (FOX NEWS)
5. Montage of US Troops in Iraq
6. Republican Senator Ron Paul Slams Bush (C-SPAN)
Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX) stood his ground and joined the twenty-or-so other Republicans that have decided to vote with the House Democrats in favor of a non-binding Iraq resolution that condemns President Bush's troop surge.
7. Anti-Iraq War Rally (Oct 26, 2002)
On Oct. 26, 2002, a massive rally was held in Washington, D.C. on the National Mall, opposing any U.S. war wih Iraq. It features the Rev. Jesse Jackson, the ILWU, attorney Lynn Stewart, actress Susan Sarandon and the ANSWER coalition, among others.
8. Abu Ghraib Prison (CNN)
News clip discussing the Abu Ghrain prison controversy and its repercussions to the military.
9. Lecture Slides: United States, Iraq and the War on Terror - Lee Kwan Yew - Foreign Affairs -Jan/Feb 2007
Click the images below to enlarge and download the slides.
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10. Blair Admits War in Iraq a Disaster (Al Jazeera Nov 18, 2006)
On Al-Jazeera English Sir David Frost interviews British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who admits (albeit in passing) that the war in Iraq is a disaster. They also talk about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
"We will stay in Iraq until we are still needed" - Tony Blair
11. Lecture Slides: Why Did We Invade Iraq Anyway? Putting a Country in Your Tank - Michael Schwartz - TomDispatch.com Oct 30, 2007.
Click the images below to enlarge and download the slides.
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US & Oil Videos
12. Kucinich Tells how Iraq War is for Oil (Democracy NOW - May 31, 2007)
Presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich was on Democracy NOW and talked about how the Iraq war is about the OIL and how few people at Capitol Hill know or care about the details of that.
13. John McCain admits Iraq War was over Oil (MSNBC - May 2, 2008)
"My friends, I will have an energy policy which will eliminate our dependence on oil from Middle East that will then prevent us from having ever to send our young men and women into conflict again in the Middle East." - John McCain
14. Government admits Oil is the reason for the Iraq War (ABC News July 5, 2007)
Australia News report on Energy Security and the Iraq war.
