Hace tiempo estaba indeciso, ahora ya no estoy tan seguro

Este es el primero de los tres libros que me autoregalé por navidades. Tengo que reconocer que soy un desconocedor de la política actual de nuestro continente vecino, Africa, y tal vez este no sea el libro adecuado para empezar a leer sobre ella, dado que estoy seguro de que solamente me va a mostrar el lado más negativo de ella. Después de todo, ¿Donde se ha visto que el negocio del petróleo sea justo e equitativo para todas las partes involucradas?

De la contraportada

«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 in Alice in Wonderwall 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 sotry that explains one of the most baffling riddles of the modern world: why has oil become a curse for the Africa, not a blessing?»

Paul Harris, U.S. 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 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 be stable. But oil itself destabilizes them, unless they were mature deocracies 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 preconcieved 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 delas. He shows there are many, many complicated shares of grey -but he does so, thankfully, using such a colorful style and language that the books comes to life and is a pleasure to read.»

Hugh Williamson, Berlin correspondent, Financial Times

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