Large-scale land acquisitions and violence in post-war societies

Abstract

ABSTRACTIntegrating theoretical assumptions from peace and conflict research and insights from development and agricultural studies, the paper scrutinises the specific mechanisms linking large-scale land acquisitions (LSLAs) and different types of violence and crime in post-war societies. The case study of Cambodia is used to demonstrate how the particular mechanisms work and interact. Insights from the paper indicate that, under the given post-war context conditions, LSLAs contribute to the perpetuation and consolidation of an illegal and violence-inducing entanglement of political power and economic interests among agro-investors, state actors and military forces. This nexus can be traced back to the historical legacy of civil war through various mechanisms – notably, the interplay of weak political institutions, widespread corruption and extreme power asymmetries. The legacy of war also continues through the persistence of war economy structures such as illegal logging, which is becoming intertwined with large-scale agricultural investments.