ABSTRACT
Resolving and reconciling natural resource–related conflicts present special challenges. In particular, it calls for approaches and options that are interdisciplinary in nature and often transboundary in scope. By placing the United Nations Compensation Commission (UNCC) and its environmental claims in a broader political context, one can draw some lessons about peacebuilding for the future. There have been opportunities to replicate or establish similar compensation and liability mechanisms to respond to environmental damage in other conflicts, but as mentioned above none of these to date have materialized largely because of international political dynamics. Finally, arguments that assert the UNCC established a new rule of law are weak. The better argument is to advocate for a permanent international regime and mechanism to determine liability and compensation for environmental damage arising from international conflicts. There is ample material to support the view that the UNCC's rules and claim outcomes, including the environmental claim outcomes, were influenced by the political dynamics.
