The Peace Potential of Hydrocarbon Resources: A Scoping Study

Hydrocarbon development has been a major engine of prosperity, but it has also led to violent conflict. Disputes have pitted state against state and generated civil strife at different levels: between governments and resource-rich regions; between neighbouring regions; and within local communities. A myriad of social ills have also resulted from oil and gas development, such as corruption (e.g., revenues diverted to enrich select individuals or fund repression), inequitable distribution of wealth, harm to the environmental (including climate change), and the over-reliance on one industry to the detriment of other productive activities.