ABSTRACT
High-value natural resources have the potential to promote and consolidate peace. Too often, however, they make the path to sustainable peace long and hazardous. Valuable resources can help to jump-start development, secure sustained growth, raise living standards, and increase economic equality. They are also an important source of foreign currency for cash-strapped governments, can reduce dependence on international aid, and can support compensation and post-conflict relief for war-affected populations. But the promise of a brighter and more peaceful future is often spoiled by deep-rooted corruption and patronage, which confer benefits on small groups rather than on the population as a whole, and by shortsighted management of the resources and the revenues they generate. 1 In addition, the mere presence of high-value resources can jeopardize peace, if the resources become the focus of violent disputes or provide financing for groups that seek to ignite (or resume) armed conflict.
