Oil Sparks in the Amazon by Patricia I Vásquez

Oil Sparks in the Amazon by Patricia I Vásquez

For decades, studies of oil-related conflicts have focused on the effects of natural resource mismanagement, resulting in great economic booms and busts or violence as rebels fight ruling governments over their regions’ hydrocarbon resources. In Oil Sparks in the Amazon, Patricia I. Vasquez writes that while oil busts and civil wars are common, the tension over oil in the Amazon has played out differently, in a way inextricable from the region itself. Oil disputes in the Amazon primarily involve local indigenous populations. These groups’ social and cultural identities differ from the rest of the population, and the diverse disputes over land, displacement, water contamination, jobs, and wealth distribution reflect those differences. Vasquez spent fifteen years traveling to the oilproducing regions of Latin America, conducting hundreds of interviews with the stakeholders in local conflicts. She analyzes fifty-five social and environmental clashes related to oil and gas extraction in the Andean countries (Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia). She also examines what triggers local hydrocarbons disputes and offers policy recommendations to resolve or prevent them. Vasquez argues that each case should be analyzed with attention to its specific sociopolitical and economic context. She shows how the key to preventing disputes that lead to local conflicts is to address structural flaws (such as poor governance and inadequate legal systems) and nonstructural flaws (such as stakeholders’ attitudes and behavior) at the outset. Doing this will require more than strong political commitments to ensure the equitable distribution of oil and gas revenues. It will require attention to the local values and culture as well.

“Patricia IVásquez’s groundbreaking book does a superb job illuminating oil-related local conflicts in Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia. Vásquez’s scrupulous and extensive research yielded invaluable insights that will be of great use to scholars and decision makers in both the public and private sectors. Her study is highly nuanced and admirably sensitive to the many complexities behind one of today’s most vexing challenges in much of Latin America.” - Michael Shifter, President, Inter-American Dialogue

PATRICIA I. VASQUEZ is an independent energy expert and former Jennings Randolph senior fellow at the U.S. Institute of Peace and an advisor on energy and sustainable development issues. Previously, she was the head of the Latin America Department at Energy Intelligence.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780820345628
ISBN 10	0820345628
Title	Oil Sparks in the Amazon
Author	Patricia I Vásquez
Series	Studies In Security And International Affairs
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	University of Georgia Press
Year published	2014-02-28
Number of pages	200
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.