A discovery of natural resources in your back garden. A blessing or a curse for the relationship with your neighbours? It is precisely this question that this paper is concerned with. Discoveries...Show moreA discovery of natural resources in your back garden. A blessing or a curse for the relationship with your neighbours? It is precisely this question that this paper is concerned with. Discoveries of enormous natural gas fields in the Eastern Mediterranean are having a paradigm shifting effect on the international relations of the region. Hence, the research question that drives this thesis is the following. What will the impact of the natural gas be on the international relations of the states of the Eastern Mediterranean? This paper will show that natural gas in the Eastern Mediterranean has led to greater cooperation and regionalisation and will continue to do so in the future. However, this paper will also show the limitations of the beneficial effects of cooperation over natural resources. The relevancy of this topic stems from it alluding to an important question, whether natural resources are a blessing or a curse. For many countries the discovery of natural resources has led to great wealth and development. However, for many others it has been a burden leading to less development and growth or even weakening democracy. Resources and the competition over them can also lead to conflict and it is this realm of the international political consequences of the resources that this paper is focused on.Show less
Bolivia has a failed past in terms of generating prosperity through resource abundances. The country held enormous reserves of silver, tin, and natural gas, and is now in possession of half of the...Show moreBolivia has a failed past in terms of generating prosperity through resource abundances. The country held enormous reserves of silver, tin, and natural gas, and is now in possession of half of the world’s supply of lithium, necessary in the fabrication of rechargeable batteries. The assumption is that the world will turn to electric vehicles in the near future, a shift that will increase the demand for Bolivian lithium dramatically. The phenomenon that a country rich in resources suffers from economic distress is called the resource curse. This thesis attempts to delve deep into the underlying causes of past examples of the resource curse in Bolivia, to determine whether there are similarities that can serve as recommendations to the present. Political stability is a prerequisite to avoid the curse, as well as macro-economic policy and diversification in the economic sphere. Bolivia is holding one of the treasures of the 21st century and needs to create the optimum circumstances in which they can extract, produce, and export their lithium in sustainable conditions for sustainable profit.Show less
