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AFRICAN OIL POLITICS: BOOK

Poisoned Wells The Dirty Politics

of African Oil

Nicholas Shaxson

Reviews

‘Shaxson argues convincingly that the failed oil states of Africa will be the next Great Game in a world still addicted to oil and increasingly willing to fight for it. This book is a must read for anyone concerned about Africa and Big Oil.

Shaxson’s obvious love for the continent and its people comes clearly through in his writing but does not temper his revulsion at the complex and bloody mess he found there. He digs deeply to uncover the real story beneath the headlines and to eloquently explain an Alice in Wonderland world of money, corruption, war and intrigue. It is a story well told that has the power to stun even the most hardened observer of Africa’s tragedy. Yet at the same time Shaxson powerfully describes people who have battled against the corrupt, the venal and the just plain evil, making a book that is often as inspiring as it is horrifying. Mixing the personal and political, he has written a compelling story that explains one of the most baffling riddles of the modern world: why has oil become a curse for Africa, not a blessing?’ – Paul Harris, US Correspondent, The Observer

‘Nicholas Shaxson has traveled to some of the most dangerous and dysfunctional nations on the planet, delved into the murky depths of the African oil business and emerged with a grisly but compelling tale of greed, corruption and violence. There are still some who believe that oil can rescue Africa from poverty at the same time as saving America from its fatal dependence on suppliers in the Middle East. In this remarkable book, the fruit of years of painstaking research, Shaxson exposes oil as a destroyer, not a savior, of all that is best in Africa.’ – Victor Mallet, Asia editor, Financial Times, and author of The Trouble with Tigers: The Rise and Fall of South-East Asia

‘This is a splendid book about a crucial subject. We need oil. We want the countries that sell it to us to be stable. But oil itself destabilizes them, unless they were mature democracies before they discovered it. Nicholas Shaxson has put in more legwork in wrecked African petro-states than any other reporter I can think of. The result is a cracking tale of blood, champagne and the ‘Devil’s excrement.’ – Robert Guest, former Africa editor, The Economist, and author of The Shackled Continent

‘This book will be unsettling for those with preconceived ideas about the oil industry, international business or African politics. Shaxson shows that there are no easy answers to questions on the role of multinational oil giants in Africa, or how to tackle the corruption that is often the result of their oil deals. He shows there are many, many complicated shades of grey–but he does so, thankfully, using such a colorful style and language that the book comes to life and is a pleasure to read.’ – Hugh Williamson, Berlin correspondent, Financial Times

‘Shaxson’s warning is that we ignore the impact of oil and gas extraction in Africa at our peril; its impact will spread. How many policy makers in oil companies or governments will listen to these warnings? At least I hope they read this book.’ – Alex Vines, The World Today

‘…atmospheric and highly readable new book about African oil’. – Nick Kotch, Mail and Guardian (South African)

‘Shaxson completes a vivid and fascinating journey.’ – African Business

Description

An explosive story in which journalist Nicholas Shaxson speaks with African presidents, oil barons and ordinary citizens to expose how rich countries’ oil companies exploit African nations, leaving them ravaged, corrupt, and penniless.

Contents

Introduction: A Paradox of Plenty in the New Gulf

Fela Kuti: How Things Fell Apart in the Oil Boom

Pedro Motú: A Morph to Another World

Abel Abraão: Wielding the Oil Weapon

Omar Bongo: Taking the Red Pill

Eva Joly: Elf Africaine and the Rabbit Warren

André Milongo: Golden Eggs

Obiang Nguema: What Caring Neighbors Do

Fradique de Menezes: Battening Down the Hatches

Arcadi Gaydamak: Between Global Borders

Dokubo-Asari: Corroding the Soul of a Nation

Global Witness: Hooligans and Rock Stars

Conclusion: Drawing the Poison

Author Biographies

NICHOLAS SHAXSON is a journalist who writes regularly for the Financial Times, The Economist, and several other publications. He is an associate fellow with the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House) in London, UK, and a world authority on the politics and economics of the oil-producing nations of the Gulf of Guinea. He has been covering the African oil trade for over ten years.

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Macmillan Publishers

Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire, RG21 6XS, England

Poisoned Wells The Dirty Politics of African Oil

Nicholas Shaxson