News
Conflict Diamonds: Africa’s Blood Diamonds are Dawood's Latest Biz, Intelligence Agencies Say
Aug 30, 2015
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Raj Shekhar, Times News Network
Investigators working to identify underworld don Dawood Ibrahim's offshore assets have stumbled on a startling fact: The fugitive is now in the business of conflict…
Which States Are Progressive on Conflict and the Environment?
Aug 28, 2015
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Doug Weir
The first tentative moves to strengthen legal protection for the environment before, during and after armed conflict are underway – and not before time. With…
Oil is Islamic State’s Lifeblood
Aug 28, 2015
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Noah Feldman
The battle for Baiji, site of one of Iraq’s major oil refineries, is heating up again. Since May, Islamic State fighters have been chipping away…
Sierra Leone: Spain Detains Belgian Sierra Leone Diamond Trafficker
Aug 28, 2015
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Expatica
Spanish police said Friday they have detained a Belgian man wanted for allegedly trafficking diamonds in Sierra Leone during the west African country's decade-long civil…
Middle East: Water Wars? Devastating Shortages Will Fuel MidEast Conflicts for 25 yrs – Report
Aug 28, 2015
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RT
In a worrying global trend, the Middle East is set for a record water shortage to strike over the next 25 years. The global fallout…
How Natural Resources Breed Violence
Aug 27, 2015
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Economist
Africa is home to a tenth of the planet’s oil, a third of its mineral reserves and produces two-thirds of its diamonds. High prices may…
Could Natural Resource Revenue Sharing Help Secure Peace in Myanmar?
Aug 27, 2015
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Andrew Bauer and Maw Htun Aung
On 8 November, Myanmar will vote for a new government. Much is at stake.
Many analysts expect Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) to win the…
Sierra Leone: The Ebola Crisis Is Over, but Tiffany Is Still Paying for It
Aug 27, 2015
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Kyle Stock, Bloomberg
The recent Ebola outbreak in West Africa is hitting Tiffany & Co.'s bottom line. In 2011, the company lent about $50 million to a miner in Sierra…
Iraq: Oil Prices Compound Iraq’s Stability Concerns
Aug 27, 2015
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Nick Cunningham, OilPrice.com
Iraq has managed to ratchet up oil production to record highs, against what would seem to be insurmountable obstacles. Despite political gridlock, a fight against…
Iraq/Kurdistan: Kurds Pledge Oil Company Payments to Boost Output
Aug 27, 2015
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Daniel J. Graeber, United Press International
A move to issue regular payments to oil companies operating in the Kurdish north of Iraq should help them endure the market downturn, the government…
What Does Climate Change Mean to China's Security?
Aug 26, 2015
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RP Siegel
A recent report by Zheng Haibin, a professor at Peking University, highlights the potential impact of climate change on China’s national security. Haibin claims that climate…
Liberia: Has Liberia Found the Way to Share its Forest Plenty with the Poor?
Aug 26, 2015
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Max Bankole Jarrett, Guardian
The “paradox of plenty” debate tends to focus on fossil fuels and minerals. Countries that are rich in these resources are often – paradoxically –…
Iraq: The Long Fight over an Iraq Oil Town Whose Importance Is Now Debatable
Aug 26, 2015
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Thomas Gibbons-Neff, Washington Post
After more than a year of near-constant fighting, there is still no sign that the battle for the Iraqi town of Baiji and its massive…
Timor-Leste: East Timor PM Seeks to Diversify Economy with Help of Oil Fund
Aug 26, 2015
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Randy Fabi, Reuters
East Timor will tap into its $16.6 billion oil fund to build the necessary infrastructure to attract non-energy investment, the prime minister said on Wednesday,…
DRC: Portland Goes Conflict-Free
Aug 26, 2015
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Enough Project
Activists and policymakers are celebrating the Portland City Council’s vote today to enact a policy to ensure that cellular devices and other key communication equipment purchased by the city are not connected to…
Conservation in Conflict Zones: Protecting Peace and Biodiversity in Colombia
Aug 25, 2015
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Brittany Ajroud
With a new peace process underway between the Colombian government and leaders of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in Cuba, the spotlight is back on…
Uganda: Museveni Orders Probe into Karamoja Land Grabbing
Aug 25, 2015
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Steven Ariong, The Monitor
President Museveni has ordered investigations into land grabbing in Karamoja sub-region where many residents face eviction by some people purporting to be investors. The President…
Iraq: Iraq Oil Minister Says $9 bln in Arrears Paid to Oil Firms
Aug 25, 2015
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Reuters
Iraq has paid foreign oil companies $9 billion in remaining arrears for 2014 and was paying outstanding fees for 2015 in stages until the beginning…
Ukraine: UN Giving Chickens to Small Farms in Ukraine
Aug 25, 2015
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Prague Post
Some 7,000 three-week-old layer-broiler chickens are being distributed this week to small farms in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Provision of the birds is the latest…
South Sudan: South Sudan’s Loan Requests to Oil Companies Rebuffed
Aug 25, 2015
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Radio Tamazuj
South Sudan’s government has been unsuccessfully seeking $200 million in loans from oil companies since June 2014, according to officials. Officials in both the ministry…
China/Vietnam/South China Sea: China Oil Rig to Keep Drilling in Waters Disputed with Vietnam
Aug 25, 2015
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Reuters
A Chinese oil rig at the center of last year's standoff between China and Vietnam will continue drilling not far from Vietnam's coast, China's maritime…
Violence Over Land in Darfur Demands We Look Again at Links Between Natural Resources and Conflict
Aug 24, 2015
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Brendan Bromwich
Given that there have been three major peace processes in Sudan’s troubled western province of Darfur, the current escalation of violence indicates that perhaps something…
Water Wars: "Water Wars Are a Myth" - Expert Says Many Govts Eager to Cooperate
Aug 24, 2015
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Magdalena Mis, Thomson Reuters Foundation
The doom and gloom predictions of increasing battles around the world over water are a myth, with only a handful of disagreements over shared waters…
China/Vietnam/South China Sea: Controversial China Rig Completes Drilling Well Near Vietnam Coast
Aug 24, 2015
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Reuters
The Chinese oil rig at the center of last year's standoff between China and Vietnam over oil exploration in the South China Sea has completed…
Iraq/Kurdistan: Israel turns to Kurds for Three-Quarters of its Oil Supplies
Aug 23, 2015
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David Sheppard, John Reed, and Anjli Raval, Financial Times
Israel has bought as much as three-quarters of its oil from Iraqi Kurdistan in recent months, the Financial Times reported Sunday. According to the report,…
Sierra Leone: Sierra Leone Gold and Diamond Exports Plummet Due to Ebola
Aug 22, 2015
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AFP
Sierra Leone said Saturday gold exports had plunged three-fold and diamond exports nearly halved in the first half of 2015, a sign of the devastation…
Liberia: Shake-Up at Liberia Oil Firm Leaves Managers, Scores out of Job
Aug 22, 2015
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Rodney D. Sieh, FrontPageAfrica
Weeks after a FrontPageAfrica investigative report pointed to looming bankruptcy at the National Oil Company of Liberia, a decision has reportedly been reached to downsize…
Tin is the Biggest Conflict Mineral: GAO
Aug 21, 2015
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Emily Chasan
Tin may pose the biggest challenge for companies looking to rid their supply chains of “conflict minerals” blamed for funding violence in the Democratic Republic…
Sierra Leone: H1 Diamond Exports Drop after Peak in April
Aug 21, 2015
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Awoko
Diamond exports for the first half (H1) of 2015 have dropped from a high of 64.5 thousand carats in April to 35.6 thousand carats in…
China’s Ongoing Game of Chess in Southeast Asia
Aug 20, 2015
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Eliza King
As China continues to expand into a superpower large enough to one day rival the United States, the support and cooperation of Southeast Asian countries…