Natural Resources

In The Curve of the Future, Edward Passerini (p. 227) argues that if we do not control population growth, our natural resources will become rapidly depleted and our quality of life severely undermined, "The next ten or fifteen years are critical. If the population in the early part of the 21st century raises much above 7 billion, the consequent scarcity of resources will bring about some rather inhuman attitudes and unpleasant living standards for many." Natural resources, when scarce, not only lead to major and minor conflicts, but they also impact the development of nation-states and their economies. When there is a conflict over valuable resources, there is often a trend toward democratic principles and institutions in those countries where such conflict exists but these have largely proved ineffective.

The role played by valuable resources in manifesting military conflict is significant. South Africa and the governments in its region have not been able to achieve regional cooperation, despite the wealthy that accrues to the area from the mining of natural resources. Interstate migration is traditional in the region, as mining laborers move from one area to the next in search of work and wages. Nevertheless, the conflict over natural resources continues to keep the region from being integrated in political, social, or economic terms. As Vale and Matlosa (p. 35) note, "Community-building is inevitably a prisoner of the national a

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