Political Science · Ch 6 — Environment and Natural Resources
Resource Geopolitics
Resource Geopolitics
The Core Idea: Who Gets What, When, Where, and How
Resource geopolitics is the study of how control over natural resources shapes power, conflict, and strategy between nations. At its simplest, it answers the question: who gets what, when, where, and how? Resources have historically been both a motive and a means for global power expansion, especially by European powers, and they remain a central driver of interstate rivalry.
Historical Roots: From Timber to Oil
Western geopolitical thinking about resources has long been tied to trade, war, and naval power. The key link was always between overseas resources and maritime navigation.
- Timber and Sea Power (17th century onwards): Since naval power depended on access to timber for shipbuilding, ensuring a steady supply of naval timber became a top priority for major European powers.
- Strategic Resources in the World Wars: The critical importance of uninterrupted supply of strategic resources — especially oil — was firmly established during both World War I and World War II.
- Cold War Methods (North vs. South): Throughout the Cold War, industrialised countries of the North used a range of methods to secure a steady flow of resources:
- Deploying military forces near exploitation sites and along sea-lanes of communication.
- Stockpiling strategic resources.
- Propping up friendly governments in resource-producing countries.
- Supporting multinational companies and favourable international agreements.
- Post-Cold War Concerns: Even after the Cold War ended, the security of supply continues to worry governments and businesses, especially regarding radioactive materials and several other minerals. However, oil remains the single most important resource in global strategy.
Oil: The Heart of Global Strategy
The global economy relies on oil as a portable and indispensable fuel. The immense wealth associated with it generates intense political struggles to control it. The history of petroleum is, in many ways, the history of war and struggle.
The Gulf Region: A Strategic Epicentre
Nowhere is this more obvious than in West Asia and Central Asia. The Gulf region is uniquely positioned:
| Aspect | Data |
|---|---|
| Share of global oil production | About 30 per cent |
| Share of planet's known oil reserves | About 64 per cent |
| Significance | The only region able to satisfy any substantial rise in global oil demand |
| Saudi Arabia's position | Holds a quarter of the world's total reserves; single largest producer |
| Iraq's position | Known reserves are second only to Saudi Arabia's; actual reserves may be far larger because substantial portions of Iraqi territory remain unexplored |
The Consumer-Distance Problem
The major consumers of this oil — the United States, Europe, Japan, and increasingly India and China — are located at a considerable distance from the Gulf region. This geographical gap makes the security of sea-lanes and the stability of producing states a permanent strategic concern.
Water: The Emerging Flashpoint
Freshwater is a resource that is directly relevant to global politics. Regional variations in availability and increasing scarcity in some parts of the world point to a troubling possibility: disagreements over shared water resources could become a leading source of conflict in the 21st century.
The Idea of 'Water Wars'
Some commentators on world politics have used the term 'water wars' to describe the possibility of violent conflict over this life-sustaining resource.
Typical Disagreements Between River-Sharing States
Countries that share rivers can disagree over many things. A classic example is a conflict between:
- Downstream (lower riparian) state: Objects to pollution, excessive irrigation, or dam construction by the upstream state, which might decrease or degrade the quality of water available to it. …
The photograph shows a large crowd of protesters in Phulbari town, in the North-West district of Dinajpur, Bangladesh. The protest is against a proposed open-cast coal mine project. Several dozen women are at the front of the crowd, chanting slogans. One woman is holding her infant child while participating in the protest. The image was taken in 2006.
This figure illustrates the concept of resource geopolitics at the local level. The textbook section explains that resource geopolitics is about "who gets what, when, where and how." Here, a community is directly challenging a corporate or state decision about how a resource (coal) will be extracted and who will bear the costs. The open-cast method would likely displace people, damage farmland, and pollute water sources — costs the community is unwilling to accept. …