Bullying the resource-rich : the effect of natural resource wealth on coercive diplomacy

Natural resource wealth has been shown to have a significant impact the on the domestic politics of states. However, the current literature has failed to provide a complete picture of the influence it has on the interactions between states. This dissertation seeks to fill this gap. The author argues that the negative effects of natural resource wealth are not restricted to the domestic sphere. He provides empirical evidence that natural resource wealth increases the likelihood of a state becoming the target of coercive action and significantly impacts the effectiveness of economic sanctions. More importantly he finds evidence that resource rich states are more likely to be targeted regardless of whether or not they have a tendency to break international norms. This adds significantly to the current literature that argues that resource rich states may be more aggressive when interacting with other states, by providing an alternative explanation to why these states may feel the need to act so aggressively.