Geopolitics and geoeconomics in funding humanitarian mine action - the case of Angola

Abstract

As a result of forty years of armed conflict, Angola is today among the eight countries in the world with the highest contamination of landmines and other Explosive Remnants of War (ERWs). Since 1994, a number of international donors supported humanitarian mine clearance with varying amounts and for varying periods as part of their foreign policy agenda. The study finds that, as it is generally true in the case of foreign policy and aid, international mine action support is closely linked to underlying geopolitical considerations. Given Angola's natural resource wealth and market potentials, geoeconomics also plays an important role in funding decisions, particularly for influential powers like the United States and Japan, but not (yet?) for China, for instance.