Book description
Oil makes the world work. It has become so vital that even a small
reduction in output can cause economic chaos. We know that our
reliance on oil is potentially disastrous but what we are less clear
about is the terrible damage it inflicts on the countries that produce
it. The people who should benefit most from the riches of oil are,
quite often, harmed by it.
Crude World offers a passionate look at some of the most
awful places in the world - the violent, repressive and polluted
countries where oil is extracted. Peter Maass follows the journey of
oil and shows how the substance sullies so much of what it touches,
poisoning land and rivers, promoting political bloodshed and creating
corruption on a staggering scale. We tend to gauge the price of oil by
its cost at the petrol station or its role in global warming, but
Maass vividly shows an altogether different price paid by people who
live in countries that are rich in petroleum but not wealth or
freedom. He shows how the profits of oil benefit mainly the companies
and governments that receive royalty cheques and will do more or less
anything to sustain the flow of money.
From Nigerian fishermen to Moscow oligarchs, from American generals
in Iraq to environmentalists in Ecuador, from British executives to
Saudi jihadists, Peter Maass connects the dots and shows how our
relationship to oil is so deadly. Crude World is a magnificent
piece of reportage that reveals the price others pay for the lives we lead.
