ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the relationship between conflict and poverty: conflict often leads to poverty and sometimes poverty leads to conflict. Causes for conflict such as inequality, grievances, and greed are examined as well as the effects of conflict on different types of capital. Through multiple examples from around the world – the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Bosnia-Herzegovina – this chapter humanizes the effects of conflict on communities in micro- and macro-level ways. An important takeaway is that “war is never over even when it’s over,” which means that post-conflict settings can often be as dangerous for civilian communities – particularly people already marginalized by social difference – as actual war and conflict. The chapter employs the human security framework to review some strategies to protect wellbeing during conflicts and to help societies rebuild once the fighting has stopped such as transitional justice programs, peace commissions, and reconstruction efforts.
