Fueling Conflict: The Link Between Oil and Foreign Military Intervention in Civil Wars
Nations are more likely to go to war with an oil-rich state when there is a lack of local competition.
What is the Resource Curse and How Can Natural Resources Lead to Violence?
This analysis highlights the various theories linking resources to conflict. Two major perspectives stand out: (1) a surplus or a lack of natural resources can directly lead to violent conflict; and (2) there is no connection between resources and conflict. Below, the author highlights three common triggers that maintain the … Read more
Cell Phones and Violent Conflict
Violent conflict is much more common in areas with low-tech communication capabilities (characterized by fewer than 34 landlines per 100 people).
Democracies, Domestic Politics, and War
Increasing the number of democracies in the world does not affect the number of wars until democracies reach 60% of the global governments.
Fueling Conflict. The Link Between Oil and Foreign Military Intervention in Civil Wars
This article addresses the long-assumed connection between civil war nations’ oil capacity and the likelihood of third-party intervention. The research shows that third-party intervention is up to 100 times more likely when a) the country at war has large reserves of oil; or b) the foreign intervener has a higher … Read more
Quality of Life Impacts Individuals’ Willingness to Take Up Arms
When people experience higher life opportunity, they become less willing to give their lives in service to their countries’ wars.
Proven Decline in Public Support for War When the Alternatives Come to Light
When aware of nonviolent alternatives to war, people believe the price of war is too high and are less likely to tolerate casualties and to support wa
Revealing an increasingly divided world – Special Presentation on the 2015 Global Peace Index
Webcast “2015 Global Peace Index” Thank you for joining our special presentation on the 2015 Global Peace Index featuring Aubrey Fox, Executive Director of the Institute for Economics and Peace.
Iran Deal Analysis – Diplomacy is the Alternative to war
Executive Summary The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) – commonly referred to us the Iran Nuclear Deal – is a multilateral agreement between Iran and the P5+1 (the U.S., U.K., France, Russia, China plus Germany), along with the European Union. Its primary objective is preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. The deal should be … Read more
The icebreaker and #ShellNo: How activists determine the course
By Patrick T. Hiller I don’t know any of the 13 activists who lowered themselves from the St. John ’s Bridge in Portland, Oregon, nor any of the dozens of kayakers paddling in the Willamette River below them, but they succeeded in a temporary blockade of the Shell-leased Arctic-bound icebreaker MSV Fennica. I know that … Read more
Deal with the Deal. Nuclear Nonproliferation, Sanctions Relief, Then What?
The day the historic nuclear deal between Iran and the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, China, France and Germany (P5+1) was reached, President Obama declared that “the world can do remarkable things when we share a vision of peacefully addressing conflicts.” At the same time, Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Javad Zarif expressed his … Read more
