Review by Choice Review
Multinational companies share a common interest in peaceful environments. Political risk is particularly acute for oil companies operating in developing countries with autocratic and corrupt regimes, yet these companies' very presence can increase political instability. This incisive book explores the links between oil and conflict and the ways in which petroleum companies have confronted conflict in Angola, Azerbaijan, and Sudan. A consultant to businesses, governments, and nongovernmental organizations, Shankleman persuasively argues that it is in the self-interest of oil companies to play a positive role in ameliorating and preventing conflict. She reports that increasingly oil companies are collaborating with governments, international organizations, and NGOs to limit environmental damage, provide employment, increase transparency, and promote peaceful resolution of conflicts as a matter of corporate social responsibility. She recommends corporations contribute to "peacebuilding" as appropriate to each country. For example, in Angola a "code of practice" is needed to govern ethical, environmental, and human rights issues; in Azerbaijan, a corporate effort would make Western governments more sensitive to the risk of renewed conflict in the Caucasus; in Sudan, new investments should be postponed until peace is established in the south and Darfur. Essential reading for company executives, policy makers, and oil country officials. Tables, maps, notes. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through professionals. R. H. Dekmejian University of Southern California
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
