Holland, Caroline M., 1986-2010-02-052010-02-052000-12https://hdl.handle.net/1794/10175ix, 107 p. : maps. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number.This study examines the effect oil has on the onset and duration of conflict. In the "resource curse" literature, researchers argue that a state's abundance in natural resources can raise the likelihood of civil war. Such findings are largely based on correlations from large-n statistical studies or are hypotheses from individual case studies. These approaches fail to check the causal validity of key variables in multiple cases. Using a data-set comprised of sixteen countries that have experienced both oil extraction and civil war, this study conducts a qualitative causal variable analysis within these cases, while also checking the causal significance of key variables across cases. This study of oil-related civil wars analyzes the cross-case validity and overall relevance of: rebel greed, citizen grievances, unemployment in oil-rich regions, state military spending, clientelistic patterns of oil rent distribution, and oil-sector nationalization schemes.en-USNatural resourcesOilCivil warThesis