Breaking the Conflict Trap? Addressing the Resource Curse in Peace Processes (Report)

Does addressing the natural resource dimension of armed conflicts in peace processes open opportunities for breaking the conflict trap? Based on evidence reviewed from Sudan (North-South), Indonesia (Aceh), and other cases, this article challenges the prevailing understanding of natural resources as an enabler of armed conflict and obstacle to peace. It argues rather that it is timely to ask: How can natural resources become part of a solution to armed conflicts and consolidate a lasting peace? The article contends that investment in natural resources can become an opportunity for peacemaking and contribute to conflict transformation by tackling economic conflict drivers and setting out new orders that govern a post-conflict peace. However, it is important to strengthen mediation support and construct new partnerships for peacemaking, especially with the extractive industries. KEYWORDS: natural resources, conflict trap, peace negotiations, mediation support, extractive industries, Sudan, Aceh. SCHOLARLY RESEARCH ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ARMED CONFLICT AND natural resources has long emphasized the impact of the latter on security, governance, and prosperity. (1) Such work has highlighted that natural resources are a crucial element in the "resource curse." In the literature on civil wars, the resource curse is mainly captured by the "conflict trap" in which "war wrecks the economy and increases the risk of future war." (2) In this context, natural resources foster recurring cycles of armed conflict because they provide a revenue base for belligerents, increase claims for secession, and perpetuate state fragility through incentives for corruption and mismanagement.