Includes bibliographical references (p. 239-247) and index.

Foreign states and trade relations -- Multinational corporations and nationalization -- International organization and governance -- Rentier states and kleptocracy -- Praetorian regimes and terror -- Journalists and intellectuals -- Political parties and elections -- Armed struggle for independence -- Popular resistance and people power -- Unscrambling the scramble for African oil.

Africa is often seen as a place to be pitied or feared as an area of instability. This book challenges these complacent assumptions, showing how our demand for oil contributes to the chronic problems plaguing the continent. Douglas A. Yates shows how the 'scramble' by the great powers for African oil has fed corruption and undermined democracy. Yates documents how Africans have refused to remain passive in the face of such developments, forming movements to challenge this new attempt at domination. This book is an urgent challenge to our understanding of Africa, raising questions about the consequences of our reliance on foreign resources. It will be vital reading for all those studying development and global political economy.