[September 2010] - D1.1: “An historical and theoretical analysis which identifies the key variables and different combinations of theories which act or may be applied to explain collaboration, competition and conflict with respect to access to oil, gas and minerals".

The issue of increased competition and conflict over access to oil, gas and minerals has risen up the political agenda throughout the 2000s as prices have risen, emerging countries such as China and India have become major new players in international energy and mineral markets, and multiple post-Cold War civil wars have appeared to be linked to the extraction and looting of fossil fuels and minerals. The threat of conflict and instability has added urgency to the search for collaborative and cooperative solutions to ensure secure and equitable access to these vital natural resources, which are critical for future global prosperity and security.

Work package 1 has developed an analytical and theoretical framework which explains the sources of conflict, collaboration and competition over access to oil, gas and minerals. It develops this framework through a close and detailed analysis of the historical evolution of the politics and economics of oil, gas and minerals from the nineteenth century onwards.

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