Isn't it self-evident that countries rich in natural resources are able to raise their level of well-being and grow at faster rates than others? Since the 1990s, expressions such as “resource curse” or “abundance trap” have appeared in economic development literature to express a lost realistic drama without a hero or a single place for its events, describing the long-term economic consequences of relying on natural resources for growth. This book is suitable for all readers, regardless of their backgrounds, as it tells the story of this drama and the desperate attempts to find an end to it. It also addresses the controversial relationship between economic development and natural resources. Because its presence or absence in a country is not the problem in itself, but rather the result of the interaction of “abundance” with important factors that are not always subject to our control. This interaction holds interesting stories. Raising the curtain on that “curse” that causes economic setbacks, or so they accused it.