So I was going to do two parts, but upon reflection I decided against it.  The second aspect I was thinking about writing on was fairly partisan, and while politics is part of this site’s purview I decided in the end it’s best to leave the partisanship to the domestic politics folks.  I’ll have a review of Philippe Le Billon’s Wars of Plunder up later this week.  It’s an excellent read for anyone interested in resource management and the political economy of conflict and peacemaking.