Title: The Resource Nexus: Competition and Cooperation in a Resource-Constrained World
Editors: Katarzyna Sypień, Krzysztof Stefan
Publishing date: 2025
ISBN: 978-83-68278-01-9 (e-book)
ISBN: 978-83-68278-09-5 (print)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.59862/a9tk3pqh
Creative Commons
From introduction „The Resource Nexus”:
From the beginning of human civilisation, access to resources has been crucial for the people living in hunter-gatherer tribes, later in villages, cities, city-states, states and empires. Early humans needed flint to produce tools and weapons, while advanced economies rely on energy resources (e.g., natural gas, oil) and rare earth elements (e.g., lithium or cobalt).
Raw materials have been both the source of prosperity and armed conflict. Silver enabled Athens to build a powerful fleet that defeated the Persians at the Battle of Salamis in 480 BC. Between 1519 and 1572, the Spanish conquistadors destroyed the Aztec and Inca empires motivated by an intense desire for gold. Later, the influx of gold and silver from South America turned Spain into an empire on which the sun never set. In the late 19th century, Spain and its former colonies of Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador and Peru fought over the guano-rich Chincha Islands. Following the rise of industrialisation, the amount of raw materials needed to sustain an industrialised economy increased. In the 20th century, oil became the lifeblood of the world economy. Oil was one of the reasons why Hitler decided to advance towards the Caucasus in 1942, an endeavour that ended in disaster for Nazi Germany. Similarly, Japan attacked the United States and conquered Malaya and the Netherlands East Indies because the Empire of Japan needed crude oil to fuel its economy and war effort. For the US – the global superpower – securing its interests in the oil-rich Middle East was an important factor.
The entire volume is available for download at the following link: E-BOOK
Individual chapters are available below:
Katarzyna Sypień, Krzysztof Stefan, Łukasz Stach
Chapter 1. The legacy of resource dependence – an introduction
DOI: https://doi.org/10.59862/a9tk3pqh/01
Katarzyna Sypień
Chapter 2. East Asian stakeholders in Arctic mining: interests, investments and implications
DOI: https://doi.org/10.59862/a9tk3pqh/02
Weronika Krupa
Chapter 3. China’s utilisation of natural resources in the semiconductor industry: competition, ambitions and future potential
DOI: https://doi.org/10.59862/a9tk3pqh/03
Mateusz Jedliński
Chapter 4. Niger’s uranium as a cause for geopolitical struggle
DOI: https://doi.org/10.59862/a9tk3pqh/04
Jakub Mądry
Chapter 5. Polish import of natural gas from the perspective of complex interdependence
DOI: https://doi.org/10.59862/a9tk3pqh/05
Cezary Krata
Chapter 6. Impact of the energy crisis in 2022 on the German political landscape and resource policy
DOI: https://doi.org/10.59862/a9tk3pqh/06
Krzysztof Stefan
Chapter 7. Water scarcity as a strategic internal security threat in India
DOI: https://doi.org/10.59862/a9tk3pqh/07
Brian Chaggu
Chapter 8. Coltan, global resource nexus and the struggle of control in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
DOI: https://doi.org/10.59862/a9tk3pqh/08
Julia Badura
Chapter 9. Kumtor Gold Mine as a crucial aspect of the Kyrgyz economy – benefits, risks and perspectives
DOI: https://doi.org/10.59862/a9tk3pqh/09
Zuzanna Piotrowicz
Chapter 10. The Las Bambas project and China’s impact on Peru’s extractivist model
DOI: https://doi.org/10.59862/a9tk3pqh/10
Besmillah Taban
Chapter 11. The role of natural resources in financing terrorism and organised crime: a case study of the Taliban in Afghanistan
DOI: https://doi.org/10.59862/a9tk3pqh/11
This publication was financed by the Faculty of International and Political Studies as part of the Strategic Programme “Initiative of Excellence” at the Jagiellonian University.
