An ELI Public Seminar
This program was cosponsored by the International Environmental Law Committee of the ABA Section of International Law.
In her recent book, Thieves of State: Why Corruption Threatens Global Security, Sarah Chayes draws upon her experiences in Afghanistan and other hotbeds of political instability to demonstrate the causal link between corrupt governance and security risks ranging from drug trafficking to civil unrest to violent religious extremism. She argues that corrupt officials are not rewarded with gifts flowing from superiors down the line, but rather subordinates make payments up the chain in exchange for a license to extract natural resources with impunity.
These practices are found across the globe and affect local citizens and the environment in profound ways. Authorities divert water from farmers who refuse to cut officials in on their profits, militaries conspire with guerrilla wildlife traffickers to export ivory caches, and the politically connected elite divert a country’s attention to monolithic extractive resources at a devastating cost to healthy, diversified economies. Meanwhile, kleptocratic governments ignore the associated environmental degradation, further fueling dissent and in some cases exacerbating extremism.
Our panelists and attendees had an engaging discussion about the environmental implications of kleptocracies and global corruption. Ms. Chayes presented her findings and received reactions from other leaders in international development and environmental policy.
Panelists:
Jay Pendergrass, Senior Attorney; Director, Climate and Energy Program; Co-Director, International Programs, Environmental Law Institute (moderator)
Nancy Boswell, Director, US & International Anti-Corruption Law Program, American University Washington School of Law
Sarah Chayes, Senior Associate, Democracy and Rule of Law Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Charles Di Leva, Chief Counsel, Environmental and International Law Unit, The World Bank
Materials:
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