Militarization of Nature: Conflict and Control over Strategic Resources and Some Implications for Peace Policies

Abstract

Military consumption of natural resources is one of the problems which figure prominently in the United Nations' action programme on disarmament and development. Reporting on a study that was initiated in 1975 and which has met with considerable problems in getting access to information, the author presents original data on military-related consumption of energy and minerals in the United States and elsewhere. After the so-called 'oil crisis', decision-makers and strategists have shown increased concern over external supply of strategic resources and have come up with proposals on how to deal with vulnerable supply lines. These and other options are surveyed. It is concluded that the major powers, which are also the principal arms producers and exporters, still may secure supplies by measures, including imperialist practices, at the international level. At the same time, dependence on strategic resources domestically not available may be reduced by measures internal to the importing country. Technological innovations have reduced the relative demand for many minerals and are increasingly making composite materials available for military purposes. Still, the arms race continues to absorb great quantities of a number of non-renewable materials.

Due to the close integration of state interests with those of private capital, co-ordination between them is the rule rather than the exception. Purely military-strategic interests may sometimes not coincide completely with those of state or private capital, but usually the latter is 'collecting' the necessary foreign resources for the former through the process of internationalization. These facts make control of supply, for the purpose of restricting or diverting military consumption, difficult — both at the national and the international level. Some such measures of control are presented and discussed, ranging from imposing taxes through regulating trade to supervising armaments industries in the arms-producing countries.

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