To prevent and resolve violent conflict we must understand the sources and logic Two schools of thought currently dominate thinking on the causes ofcontemporary conflict. The first sees violence as a response to a range ofgrievances including systematic discrimination and human rights violations,inequalities in wealth and political power, or a scarcity of resources,particularly where these fall along existing social cleavages such as ethnicityor religion. The second characterizes war as irrational either originating in"ancient hatreds," causing a needless disruption along the normal path todevelopment, or simply as "mindless violence." These schools recognize thatleadership can play an important role in stoking the embers of conflict, butboth nevertheless see the principal dynamics of conflict resulting from popularsentiment. But what if the principal motive behind conflict is greed notgrievance? Profit rather than political power seems to be a growing motivationfor violence in civil wars.If economic rationales do play a major role in the motivations of the warringfactions, this represents a profound challenge to both prevailing schools ofthought. If we recognize that the longevity of conflict can be the result not ofanarchy but of economic gain, then there may be method to the perceived madnessafter all. For those that see grievance or a fundamental conflict of interest atthe root of violent conflict the challenge is more profound. If economic gain isa prominent motivation for armed conflict, the very basis for the resolution ofviolent conflict through negotiation is undermined and the search for apolitical settlement may be futile. Some argue that economic motivations arecritical to understanding the causes or origins of violent conflict.Economic motivations play an important role in the persistence of violentconflict. For regardless of whether economic motivations have played animportant role in motivating armed conflict in the pas...
