books
crude world the violent twilight of oil
a stunning and revealing examination of oils indelible impact on the countries that produce it and the people who possess it . br every unhappy oil producing nation is unhappy in its own way but all are touched by the resource curse the power of oil to exacerbate existing problems and create new ones . in crude world peter maass presents a vivid portrait of the troubled world oil has created . he takes us to saudi arabia where officials deflect inquiries about the amount of petroleum remaining in the countrys largest reservoir ; to equatorial guinea where two tennis courts grace an oil rich dictators estate but bandages and aspirin are a hospitals only supplies ; and to venezuela where hugo chavezs campaign to redistribute oil wealth creates new economic and political crises . br maass a new york times magazine writer also introduces us to iraqi oilmen trying to rebuild their industry after the invasion of 2003 an american lawyer leading ecuadorians in an unprecedented lawsuit against chevron a russian oil billionaire imprisoned for his defiance of vladimir putins leadership and nigerian villagers whose livelihoods are destroyed by the discovery of oil . rebels royalty middlemen environmentalists indigenous activists ceos their stories deftly and sensitively presented tell the larger story of oil in our time . br crude world is a startling and essential account of the consequences of our addiction to oil .
hardcover knopf publishing group 2009 isbn13 9781400041695 isbn10 1400041694
abridged n isbn 13 9781400041695 number in series 1 number of pages 276 publisher random house inc release date 1253577600000