CRUDE WORLD: The Violent Twilight of Oil,
by Peter Maass
(Vintage, $15.95)
I recommend Peter Maass's balanced, extremely well researched analysis of the way in which petroleum distorts the actions of the countries that possess it, the countries that desire it, and the corporations that move it from one to the other. The author of Love Thy Neighbor - about the civil war in Bosnia - traveled around the world surveying large countries like Russia and Nigeria, medium-sized ones like Venezuela and Ecuador, and tiny ones like Equatorial Guinea. In every case, he found that when oil dominates the economy, not only is there endless opportunity for graft and corruption, but other sectors like agriculture and manufacturing often suffer from neglect. Maass also reveals the relationship between the United States and the oil-producing countries: we tolerate corruption and graft in order to keep the oil flowing. He has done an admirable job of presenting a vast amount of material in a brief and readable account. Now in paperback.
- Carla Cohen
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