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International Peace Academy UN Deputy Secretary-General Louise Fréchette and Foreign Minister Jan Petersen of Norway (far right) were the keynote speakers at the symposium on “Economic Agendas in Armed Conflict”. With them are Jon Hanssen-Bauer (far left), Director of Oslo’s Fafo Institute for Applied International Studies, and IPA President David Malone. Symposium Explores UN Role in Addressing Economic Dimensions of Armed Conflict by Karen Ballentine with a brutal campaign of killing and Foreign Minister Jan Petersen of Norway and United Nations Deputy-Secre- mutilation that targeted civilians, includ- tary-General Louise Fréchette were keynote speakers at an expert symposium in ing infants. In both countries, diamond New York on 25 March on how the UN can respond better to conflicts sustained looting enabled all combatants the and prolonged by the economic interests of the combatants and other parties. Such means to purchase arms and materiel on conflicts have been an increasing international concern in the post-Cold War pe- world markets, while enriching leaders riod because of their heavy toll of civilian life and long-term destructive effects and diamond smuggling networks. on societies and the environment. In a number of cases, the UN Security Council Participants in the symposium said Above: Ian Smillie of Partnership Africa, has engaged in efforts to stem the flow of financial and material resources to and that the “blood diamonds” phenomenon Canada, author of the Fafo-sponsored study from conflict zones. reflected a post-cold war trend in which linking trade in rough diamonds and civil Sponsored by Norway as an integral Although journalists attended the armed groups bereft of superpower pa- wars. Below: Mats Berdal (l) of the Inter- part of its Presidency of the UN Secu- symposium, only the keynote speeches tronage resorted to financing their mili- national Institute for Strategic Studies, Lon- don, with Wegger Strommen, Norway’s UN rity Council (March 2002), the meeting were on the record. tary activities with available domestic Deputy Permanent Representative. was organized jointly by the Interna- Blood Diamonds natural resources. In addition to dia- tional Peace Academy’s Program on The illicit trade of diamonds to sus- monds, “conflict commodities” include Economic Agendas in Civil Wars, and tain wars in Sub-Saharan Africa has other precious and semiprecious gems, Oslo-based Fafo Institute’s Program for been highlighted in recent years by ex- copper, coltan, timber and oil. Among International Cooperation and Conflict pert panels established under Security the countries affected have been Af- Resolution (PICCR). Fafo released a Council auspices and non-governmen- ghanistan, Cambodia, Burma, and five-part study on “Economies of Con- tal organizations. In Angola, the insur- Sudan. flict” at the symposium (see box next gent UNITA is estimated to have gener- Key Issues page). Global Witness, a leading non- ated some $3.7 billion during the 1990s The symposium discussed whether governmental organization in the study through the trade in such “blood dia- and how these trends have altered the and analysis of economic aspects of con- monds.” In Sierra Leone, the Revolu- character of contemporary conflicts and flicts, also released a major report on tionary United Front (RUF) gained and the challenges to peacemaking. Partici- corruption and the civil war in Angola. kept control of lucrative diamond fields pants agreed that the self-financing na- Highlights of Norway’s Security Council Presidency As Patrick During its Presidency of the Security Council in March 2002, Norway pursued Alley, Director an agenda focused on prevention of armed conflict, the protection of civilians in of Global conflict areas, and comprehensive peacebuilding in the Middle East, Afghani- Witness, makes stan, and the Horn of Africa. Specific Norwegian initiatives included: a comment from ◗ the floor, A Security Council presidential statement (a resolution in May) to strengthen listening in are the enforcement of a UN arms embargo on Somalia by creating new monitoring (front) Shepard mechanisms, together with complementary peacebuilding measures; Forman, Direc- ◗ Sponsorship of an aide memoire adopted by the Security Council on enhanc- tor, Center for ing the protection of civilians under future peacekeeping mandates; International ◗ A public Security Council consultation chaired by Norwegian Foreign Min- Cooperation, at ister Jan Petersen to review the security and humanitarian situation in Afghani- NY University, stan, in light of the Secretary-General’s report on the proposed UN Assistance and Ms. Yvonne Mission for Afghanistan (UNAMA); Terlingen of ◗ A draft resolution, adopted by the Security Council on March 30, calling for Amnesty Intern- ational a withdrawal of Israeli troops from Palestinian cities, a cease-fire and an end to all acts of violence. For more information on Norway and the UN, see: www.norway-un.org. INTERNATIONAL PEACE ACADEMY Above Dr. Paul Collier of the World Bank. Ambassador Stewart Eldon, Deputy Ambassador Claudia Fritsche Ambassador Alfonso Valdivieso Below: Dr. Virginia Haufler of the Permanent Representative of Britain of Liechtenstein of Colombia University of Maryland. ticipation in casual looting or the illicit bargo illicit financial and resource flows policies, and wholesale malfeasance on exploitation of natural resources. As to conflict zones with wider diplomatic the part of corrupt government officials Foreign Minister Petersen said, in such initiatives to prevent and resolve con- have been root causes of violent con- cases “peace becomes not only a ques- flict, as well as with efforts to protect flict, as well as its abiding legacy. This tion of settling disputes, but also of civilians in war. deficit in governance is particularly felt fighting crime and finding alternative Speakers at the symposium pointed in developing countries with a high de- sources of income for large groups”. out that though analysis and policy-mak- pendence on lucrative natural resource Reflecting a wider scholarly debate, ing have focused so far on exposing and exports, especially crude oil. For ex- a second issue concerned the importance restricting the predatory activities of ample, Global Witness researchers of the economic agendas of combatants warlords and insurgent groups, govern- found that about one-fifth of the relative to their political objectives, eth- ments are also parties to internal con- Angolan government’s tax revenues nic claims, and security concerns. Some flicts and some have engaged in the sys- from oil in 2000 were not accounted for scholars have argued that the centrality tematic diversion of public revenues for in its budget. of lucrative natural resources in armed war-making and private benefit. Indeed, As national governments have the ture of today’s internal conflicts may be conflict means more than just that wars in a number of cases, lack of public ac- primary responsibility for ensuring the an important reason why they have be- need resources; it is evidence that, in countability, ill-designed redistributive security and well-being of their people, come both more protracted and more re- many countries today, war has become sistant to resolution. When key actors a narrow contest for resource control. Global Witness Report Highlights Angola develop vested pecuniary interests in In this formulation, it is economic illicit economic activities — both those “greed” and the opportunity for self- Corruption Linked to Civil War that make war possible and those made enrichment that drives continued war- The civil war in Angola, the longest continuing conflict in Africa, has served possible by war — they have less incen- fare, rather than ethnic, political, or so- as cover for substantial official corruption says a new report by Global Witness tive to commit to peace accords. This cioeconomic “grievance”. Symposium an independent London-based NGO that focuses on the role of natural resources observation is most true of the political participants saw a mix of both legiti- in conflict areas. The report, entitled “All the Presidents’ Men,” estimates that and military elites who use force to cap- mate grievance and opportunistic greed about $1.4 billion in oil revenues that should have gone to the public treasury ture and control assets. But it also per- at the root of most armed conflicts. In- has been looted by corrupt officials and diverted to overseas bank accounts, tains to average soldiers and civilians, ternal wars have complex dynamics re- including some connected to companies supplying the Angolan military. The for whom there is often no other source sulting from an accumulation of causes report also examines links between that process and the scandal uncovered in of income left than that afforded by par- ranging from corrupt and brutal leaders France in 2000 involving kickbacks on highly overpriced military procurement. to systemic socioeconomic inequality, The report says that “international oil companies and banks are complicit in Fafo and PICCR political exclusion, and sudden collapse this process of embezzlement because they refuse to publish what they pay to The Fafo Institute in Oslo conducts of governance and internal security. the Angolan State, preventing ordinary Angolans from calling their government policy research on the challenges that Predatory economic behavior by com- to account over missing oil revenues. International oil companies like face countries undergoing substantial peting