| CODE | EMP3001 | ||||||||||||
| TITLE | Geopolitics and Resource Conflicts | ||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 03 - Years 2, 3, 4 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 6 | ||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | ||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Environmental Management and Planning | ||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This unit will explore the political implications of natural resource management, with a focus on triggers for conflict. Concepts of international boundaries and geopolitics will first be briefly introduced, with a focus on key changes in global political dynamics in relation to imperialism, the Cold War and the post-Cold War years. The implications of changing global political dynamics for natural resource management will be discussed. The unit will then explore issues of resource scarcity, and outline the links between stability of resource supply and national security. These issues will then be addressed with reference to specific natural resources, namely (i) mineral and energy resources, and (ii) water resources. The strategic importance of these resources will be reviewed, as well as ways in which scarcity and homogeneity of supply may affect political relations. The geopolitical dimension of resource transportation will also be discussed. Several case studies will be used for illustrative purposes, highlighting conflicts over the management of these resources. The unit will then explore specific challenging contexts for natural resource management, namely (i) the global commons: the atmosphere, the high seas and Antarctica, (ii) transboundary environmental issues, and (iii) international management of the deep sea bed. The legal frameworks applying in these different cases will be reviewed. Study-unit Aims: This study-unit aims: - to introduce students to the political dimensions of resource management concerns; - to show how natural resource scarcity/mis-use can act as a trigger for conflict; - to develop students' awareness of how the presence, absence and/or distribution of natural resources can have important implications for political relations between and within countries; - to explain the complexity of resource management issues, and of the challenges involved in developing and implementing legal structures for regulating resource use in contexts where jurisdiction is disputed or shared between multiple states; - to help students develop awareness of present-day conflicts over natural resource management, and of both success stories and of outstanding challenges. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: a. Describe the characteristics of strategic natural resources; b. List and outline factors that affect the distribution of mineral and energy resources; c. List and outline factors that affect the distribution of freshwater resources; d. Explain the implications of natural resource availability for national security; e. Appraise the strengths and weaknesses of existing legal instruments for managing the global commons, transboundary resources and the deep sea bed. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: a. Analyze the linkages between the distribution of natural resources and national/international political dynamics; b. Appreciate the multifaceted nature of conflicts over water and mineral resources, and the necessity of adopting a holistic approach in discussing issues of sustainability; c. Identify parts of the world where there are ongoing political disputes relating to the management of natural resources. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Klare, M.T., 2002. Resource Wars: The New Landscape of Global Conflict With a New Introduction by the Author. Holt Paperbacks. 2002 Edition. ISBN: 978-0805055764. Le Billon, P., 2006. Fuelling War: Natural Resources and Armed Conflicts (Adelphi series). Routledge. 1st Edition. ISBN: 978-0415379700. Giddens, A., 2009. Politics of Climate Change. Polity Press. ISBN: 978-0745646930. Klare, M.T., 2009. Rising Powers, Shrinking Planet: The New Geopolitics of Energy. Holt Paperbacks. 1st Edition. ISBN: 978-0805089219. Le Billon, P., 2008. The Geopolitics of Resource Wars (Routledge Studies in Geopolitics). Routledge. 1st Edition. ISBN: 978-0415463782. Hillel, D., 1995. The Rivers of Eden: The Struggle for Water and the Quest for Peace in the Middle East. Replica Books. ISBN: 978-0195080681. Harris, K. T., 2010. Geopolitics of Oil. Nova Science Publishers. ISBN: 978-1606928103. Bannon, I., 2003. Natural resources and violent conflict: options & actions. World Bank. ISBN: 0-8213-5503-1. |
||||||||||||
| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture and Seminar | ||||||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
|
||||||||||||
| LECTURER/S | Elisabeth Conrad |
||||||||||||
|
The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
|||||||||||||