Scarcity and Surfeit: The Ecology of Africa's Conflicts

by Jeremy Lind (Editor), Kathryn Sturman (Editor)

Funded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation , the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Governments of Sweeden and Switzerland

388 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

The main question the book tries to answer is whether wars in sub saharan countries are caused by greed or grievances. The conclusion is that in as much as conflict is caused by many different factors, greed to control national resources is the main cause. And that to solve the war problem, new interventions should be focused on addressing that, something which most interventions across the picture failed to do. But this is not easy! Because the main benefactors are not just the belligerents or the regional neighbors but the invisible hand of globalism.

All the countries mentioned in the book are still embroiled in some conflict right now. This has happened despite the book clearly pointing to the solution. I have however come to understand that rationality is not to be expected among the masses. You can hope for it in individuals but not in masses. So maybe that explains it.


I had to stop reading this because it was too difficult to follow(has many writers) and becomes redundant sometimes.