Scarcity, be it absolute or relative, economic or social, or even the expression of a power, lies at the origin of human conflict. In the international system, security is a scarce possession that requires a costly investment : indeed, in order to protect itself, a State must invest in military effort, which can be both a source of economic development and an unproductive form of development. Scarcity is created by capitalism, a factor of «permanent war at worst, armed peace at best», and globalization. In fact, scarcity is a cause of war but is also a war instrument through several economic war strategies : exportation control, arms race, flow breach, encircling, political violence, domination. – Summary AFRI-2005