RESOURCE & WARS

Resource & Wars

The Return of Geopolitics: Resource Wars and the Primacy of Territory

Introduction

United Nations defines national security as “the situation in which a State shall be considered to be protected against military aggression, political pressure or significant economic coercion, thereby gaining leeway to pursue its development or progress”. However, in the coming years it is expected that scarce resources such as shortage of drinking water, food and arable land will create interstate conflict since food security rests on the pillars.

Discussion

The global population is increasing and the demands for the resources at the same time is also increasing, which in future, will create a war among countries. In the past decades, it has been observed that while the population grows, it decreases the basis of natural resources, and degradation due to abuse of its operation. The environment is now one of the most important issues in all types of global and regional negotiations. Moreover, researcher predicts that if a country does not measure the collective use of these resources, this can upset the balance of the ecosystem (Cowen D., & Smith, 2009, pp. N/A).

Due to new environmental threats is dramatically threatening global security, while realists in foreign policy continue to be an interesting subject regarding economic and geopolitical. There has been drastic change in the Public International Law to the global issues, which has been reflected in treaties such as the Law of the Sea, 1982, the Montreal Protocol on the reduction of the ozone layer, in 1990, the Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and Lakes, 1992, among others, while these treaties are a step forward in raising awareness of the States, which are way far to apply these rules. The challenge that faced by the International Environmental Law is the application and implementation of existing legislation.

The principle of national sovereignty must give a ways to cooperation in order to tackle the international impact of environmental degradation. The realist theory makes an incomplete analysis of such serious problems as population growth and resource depletion. Given the conflicting nature of international relations, we must move towards a regime based on international cooperation in the conflict. So far, the main obstacles are:

The so-called conflict between the North and the South, a division that meets quality criteria and levels of development. These countries raise their relationships with natural resources perspectives, needs and very different consumption patterns. Emphasizes the imbalance in terms of access and resource utilization. 80% of these goods are controlled by the richest 20% of the world population.

The sovereignty over resources, essential for certain states, because they consider vital to ensure your safety and control position.

Lack of incentives to encourage negotiations between States.

It is projected that that at current rates of growth and the consumption of the oil would reach only to the next thirty years. As for drinking water, it is estimated that at mid-century, water cannot meet the world demand. This is not only due to population growth, but also ...