Untapped: The Scramble for Africa's Oil

Although Africa has long been known to be rich in oil, extracting it hadn’t seemed worth the effort and risk until recently. But as the geopolitics of oil shift, with the price of Middle Eastern crude skyrocketing and advancing technology making reserves easier to tap, the region has become the scene of a competition between major powers that recalls the nineteenth-century scramble for colonization there. But what does this giddy new oil boom mean—for American energy security, the world, and Africans themselves? John Ghazvinian traveled through twelve African countries—from Sudan to Congo to Angola—talking to warlords, industry executives, bandits, activists, priests, missionaries, oil-rig workers, scientists, and ordinary people whose lives have been transformed—not necessarily for the better—by the riches beneath their feet. The result is a high-octane work of narrative investigative journalism that reveals the challenges, obstacles, reasons for despair, and reasons for hope emerging from one of the world’s energy hot spots.

This unflinching report from the front lines of the new oil rush reveals:

• The Resource Curse: Why the discovery of black gold often leads to poverty, corruption, and conflict, transforming the lives of ordinary people for the worse.
• The New Scramble for Africa: A firsthand look at the fierce competition between America, China, and Europe for control over Africa’s untapped reserves.
• Oil Politics: Candid interviews with a stunning range of players—from warlords and bandits to oil executives and activists—who are shaping the continent’s future.
• On-the-Ground Reporting: A gripping travelogue through twelve African nations, from the swamps of the Niger Delta to the gleaming corporate offices of the world’s largest oil companies.

PRAISE FOR UNTAPPED “[A] riveting account and superb analysis of what African oil means to a fuel-hungry world and to the African nations involved.”—The Boston Globe  “Perceptive . . . Untapped drills home the point . . . that a thoughtful strategy to lift the neglected bottom billion must compete against the global giants going about their business.”—The New York Times