OIL LAND LEMURS AND AFRICAN POLITICS Africas Natural

OIL, LAND, LEMURS, AND AFRICAN POLITICS • Africa’s Natural Wealth Is Immense • Puzzle: Rich Continent, Poor People • Explanations 1. Distribution 2. Human Pressures 3. Politics • Conclusions

OIL

AFRICA’S OIL 3. 8 m barrels per day (2005) • 38% US and Canada • 35% Asia-Pacific • 20% Europe • 5% Latin America • 2% Africa

FORESTS

Africa’s Forests: Significance • Fuel wood • Building Materials • Income • Agricultural land • Medicine • Spirituality and Cultural Survival • Biodiversity • Recreation • Carbon Sequestration • Climate Regulation

Biodiversity Hotspots & Environmental Services

DEVELOPMENT POLITICS: POLITICS OF ALIENATION Welfare (Security, Prosperity) Foreign Actors State (Governments) Policies Polity Legitimacy Compliance with the laws of the land Resources (Human + Financial) Natural Resources Taxes

THE POLITICS OF PREDATION, DEPRIVATION, & VIOLENCE Foreign Interests Natural Resources Policies Polity State (Governments) Rebels/Warlords Neighboring States CONFLICTS

Will Reno on Warlordism: One of the unpleasant realities of contemporary conflicts is that in many parts of the third world, wars are no longer being fought to win, but rather are fought to create and maintain environments of lawlessness and violence from which certain groups and individuals profiteer. Over the course of the 1990 s, this phenomenon has come to be called “warlordism. ” In Sierra Leone, Liberia, Congo, Colombia, Angola, Somalia, Sudan, and elsewhere, war is waged mainly to enable the protagonists on all sides to loot and profit from extralegal control of trade in everything from diamonds to timber to diverted food relief. The key to these protracted armed conflicts is that, despite public appearances, neither rebel nor “government” forces have an interest in ending the war, and even less of an interest in a return to rule of law. In some instances governments and rebels even collude to perpetuate the wars from which they profit.

SS AFRICA’S REGIONAL CONFLICTS

CONFLICTS & BLOOD DIAMONDS http: //www. cnn. com/interactive/specials/0009/yourbusiness/conflicts. popup/ybyw. map. africa. gif

(… and the African people? )

http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=4 d 3 v. FI 5 Up. Ic

Deforestation: State Actors’ Perspective State Actors The state has “rational” goals: • Revenue generation • Economic development • Biodiversity conservation (scientific research + aid) Community Actors Communities are a hindrance because of • Poverty • Population growth • Ignorance Forests are not used in a sustainable manner (deforestation)

Deforestation: Communities’ Perspective State Communities Forests Actors are a hindrance because of have legitimate need forests: • Subsistence • Preservation of identity (production systems and fomba) • • • Rules poorly enforced (no consistency) are taken away Abuse of power (no arguments) Corruption (no transparency; unpredictable) Lies/betrayal (not trustworthy) Permits to loggers (playing favorites) Rules and state’s authority illegitimate