The end of the colonial era left behind a number of conditions and constructs that can be examined by Postcolonial International Relations Theory. Why are some ex-colonies susceptible to poverty, "failed states", and the occurrence of human rights abuses? Why does resource nationalism occur? Postcolonialism responds to these questions by analysing the context of the modern world through the perspective of the former colonies. Colonialism itself, often motivated in the coloniser's quest for natural resources and underpinned by inequality between the colony and the coloniser, created strong dependencies and subservient actors. Colonial era laws set the modus operandi for mineral development and some echoes of these legislations exist today - despite modernisation of sovereign laws. Mining companies need to be fully aware of the historical context of the countries where they operate and not unintentionally create dependencies and situations that allow detractors to cite neo-colonial criticism. In other words, mining companies need to think in terms of postcolonial theory. Postcolonial theory opens up important spaces and areas that may have been largely ignored or forgotten in the modern world. Highly useful methods and frameworks such as foregrounding (understanding the utmost importance of actors' views) and perspectivalism (viewing events and conditions from various actors' stances) allow a more encompassing analysis of the contexts in which mining projects are situated. In an accompanying video here, the perception of the enrichment of the mining companies to the detriment of the host country is examined in terms of the response implemented by resource nationalism.