U.S. renews ties with repressive Equatorial Guinea - rich in oil, poor in human rights
Equatorial Guinea's president had his opponents imprisoned and tortured, had his presidential predecessor executed by firing squad, helped himself to the state treasury at will. State radio recently declared him ''like God.''
He's venal, corrupt, brutal, and completely self-absorbed. He controls untold oil wealth, and yet his people are among the poorest on earth. He and his family live like royalty, while those he rules can barely feed and clothe themselves. Despite this, Teodoro Obiang is assiduously courted by American oil companies and embraced as an equal by the American government. Hey, what's the problem, y'all?? We're making money!!
The American government has reopened our embassy in Equitorial Guinea, ostensibly to serve the consular needs of American employees in country. Still, the message sent by this move is clear: Human rights abuses? Poverty? Corruption? Who Cares? As long as American oil companies can profit, who cares about desperately poor, oppressed Africans? Obvious answer: no one in the American government.
Teodoro Obiang might seem an unlikely candidate for warmer relations with Washington, except for one thing — his tiny West African country's got a tremendous amount of oil.
With America looking increasingly for alternatives to oil from the Middle East, West Africa — and dictators like Obiang — aren't looking so bad.
To the dismay of human rights activists, Washington reopened its embassy on the tropical country's island capital of Malabo last month after an eight-year shutdown.
Although no U.S. ambassador is serving in Malabo, Obiang's critics say reopening of the embassy gives tacit approval to a repressive regime that lets little of the country's newfound oil wealth trickle down to its 500,000 people, who are among the poorest on Earth.
So, what does a repressive, brutal regime have to offer the good ol' US of A? Silly wabbit. If not for the oil, Equitorial Guinea would be just another brutal, genocidal African backwater that no one had ever heard of, much less cared about. Now that there are gobs o' money to be made, it's still a brutal, genocidal, African backwater. It's just that a lot more well-fed white folks are making the gobs of money- with the assistance, of course, of our faithful lapdog, Teodoro Obiang.
It's sad that we can see our way clear to invade and flatten Iraq, but we condone and even encourage Obiang's genocidal rule. Of course, if Saddam Hussein had cut us a deal, he'd still be in power, and his son would still be deflowering Iraqi virgins. Behold the power of oil....
