Review of Blood Oil: Tyrants, Violence, and the Rules That Run the World by Leif Wenar

By: Alexis Nicole Thrasher

Professor Unislawa Williams

International Organizations

April 18, 2016

“Divide and rule, the politician cries; Unite and lead, is watchword of the wise.” -Goethe

The following review of Leif Wenar’s book about the unhappy rules of free trade in natural resources, Blood Oil, will show how citizens, consumers, and leaders can act today to avert tomorrow’s crises-- and how we can together create a more united human future. While trying to unpack the argument that Wenar introduces to us, there are many divisive debates that arise. Should the United States send more aid to countries like Nigeria, where a corrupt elite rules over an impoverished and increasingly violent population? Is it wise to back “friendly” authoritarians like the Saudis, and turn the blind eye to their human rights abuses and support for extremists? After listening to these questions, it is clear that no good options exist, and much is at stake in terms of money and lives. Wenar argues how the West can lead a peaceful global revolution by ending its dependence on the authoritarians who are stealing their countries’ oil and minerals. Our laws are up to us -- and of course other countries might still by oil from them, but if we took the lead to abolish such a brutal rule, we might just inspire the rest of the world to join us in taking humanity’s next big step toward freedom and peace.
The first part of the book discusses how natural resources empower the world’s most coercive men. Authoritarians like Putin and the Saudis spend oil money on weapons and repression. ISIS and the Congo’s militias spend resource money on atrocities and ammunition. For decades, resource-fueled autocrats and extremists have forced endless crises on the West-- and the ultimate source of their resource money is us, paying at the gas station and the mall. Wenar goes behind the headlines in search of the hidden global rule that puts shoppers into business with these men of blood. Through his lens, we can look into why his argument is crucial for political scientists to discuss.

As a political scientist, it is our job to study the origin, development, and operation of political systems; to analyze governments, political trends and related issues. We are to be analytical of the operation of the government and political systems, correct? Well if that is the case, Blood Oil is a great read for the political science community; especially while reading Blood Oil we learn of the brutal rule: “might makes right”, which once licensed the slave trade, colonialism, apartheid, and genocide. The abolition of this rule marked some of humanity’s greatest triumphs-- yet the rule still creeps along in today’s multi-trillion dollar resource trade, enriching tyrants, warlords, and terrorists worldwide. We know that might simply cannot make right. Therefore, today most of the world’s traded oil is stolen oil. But, we --the West -- have enough energy to change it now.

“Force is a physical power; I fail to see what morality can result from his effects.”- Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Wenar emphasizes the ancient brutal rule that is zombies its way through the veins of corrupt leaders till this very day: might makes right. In 1995, Exxon found oil of the shores of the Equatorial Guinea, a tropical country on the west coast of Africa. Within ten years, Equatorial Guinea had become a leading energy exporter selling more oil per capita than Saudi Arabia. Wenar tells us about Teodoro Obiang, the strongman who dominated the Equatorial Guinea in 1979. Obiang has not shied from having “his guards urinate on political prisoners, slice their ears, and smear their bodies with grease to attract stinging ants”. The UN Special Rapporteur on torture said, after a visit to the country, “They don’t even hide the torture instruments. . . I’m deeply convinced it is a governmental policy.” Even news of the outside world is heavily censored; the single private television and radio network belongs to the President’s son Teodorin. Oddly in 2006, Forbes judged Obiang to be richer than Queen Elizabeth II, with an estimated personal wealth of $600 million. This was after Obiang had spent 55 million buying one of six private jets. Teodorin is by all accounts at least as determined as his father to control the country’s oil revenues for his personal use. This goes to show why Wenar’s argument is more than valid and up for discussion.

“It is the great error of reformers and philanthropists in our time to nibble at the consequences of unjust power, instead of redressing the injustice itself.” -John Stuart Mill

Authoritarians often use their own power to shape their national laws and even their constitutions. “Laws are leather gloves covering their grip.”For our nation, effectiveness or “might makes right” for resources imports injustice. One may ask the question, “Why do national leaders allow might abroad to make right at home”? One reason is that national leaders inherit effectiveness from their ancestors. Effectiveness sets a test that resource-rich countries can always pass. Meaning, there will always be someone in the capital of an exporting country who has the most coercive power. For national leaders, it is imperative to secure imports of natural resources therefore, today’s leaders accept effectiveness as their law. Now, might makes right dates back to the premodern “Westphalian” era. During this era, leaders who conquered territory -- who gained military control over land -- also gained the internationally recognized legal right to rule that territory. Might made right at this time. At this time, a ruler with military control over territory could sell that territory, with all its inhabitants, to another ruler. Thus, it is safe to say that international law did not yet recognize what we now call human rights. Human rights law means that regimes can no longer assert that their abuse or neglect of the people is only a matter of “internal affairs.” However, in today’s resource trade, the system still issues a license to sell resources to whoever is ruthless enough to commandeer those resources. The suffering and injustice engendered by this rule has been significant, and we expect these wrongs to continue so long as the rule persists.

If I had to choose one attribute to describe Blood Oil it would be courageous. The absolute right of a few men to control resources must be abandoned, while the power of peoples to check those who control resources is increased. Wenar argues that citizens must become stronger, more potent, more connective, and more empowered by their institutions. Confidence and courage in the abolition of coercion-based rights over resources is what the book is all about. Wenar said himself, “Unchecked power causes division, counter-power brings freedom; freedom allows people to find unity, within themselves and with each other.”

However, I believe that with the long history of negligence and backlash on this issue that courage can also make room for fight in this situation. Wenar does an amazing job providing examples, factual information, and scholarship; however, certain aspects of the practicality I question. He proposes America to be courageous and no longer buy oil and minerals from Saudi Arabia and places like the Equatorial Guinea. On one hand I say ‘yay’ and the other hand I start to question... I don’t completely disagree with the idea but I do believe that it can create many hardships for our importation of resources which then affects many other aspects.

“One need not to go around the world to grasp that the sky is blue everywhere.” - Goethe

Wenar provides solutions that will allow the United States to make strides towards a peaceful trade system with men who will care more about the countries and people they represent than themselves. He believes that, “We--and the world--should no longer buy them[natural resources].” The natural resources and minerals that we receive are not being traded from men who benefit the world and the greater good. These same men threaten their own people, spend money for their own personal use, and have a corrupt governmental system that often times allows these filthy acts to occur. He insisted on protecting property rights and popular sovereignty. Thus why Wenar has created the Clean Trade Act. A Clean Trade Act replaces the trade policy of effectiveness with laws that respect the ultimate right of peoples to control their countries resources. It will disengage commercially from resource vendors in countries that do not meet the minimal conditions for the popular resource sovereignty.

Another solution that Wenar suggested is to get rid of short term thinking. In order to rid the world of these issues and this corrupt way of thinking, we must think long term. “A commitment to principle will be needed for leaders to keep their resolve when times get tough.” This quote properly expresses the need for true governance and principle amongst the rulers of these countries that are wanting to do business with America. It is critical to note that many countries do business with America every day yet we still fall into the traps of these ruthless men. We must stand up and instead of drooling over the resources we get from these countries and focus more on what consequences come from our trading.

The next solution Wenar emphasizes is to ensure peace and unity. Charles Hobbes wrote that the fundamental law is to “Seek Peace.”. We can now see that there is a more basic law...to seek Unity.

In summation, Blood Oil: Tyrants, Violence, and the Rules That Run the World, is an important analysis that goes to show that as long as these tyrants are constantly consuming all of this power by making themselves better while others suffer, violence and rules like might makes right will run the world into chaos. Natural resources are such a huge component in how the world operates that it is critical for all components of this book to be considered for the sake of the future of humanity. Americans are a unique component within the issue at hand because we on a daily basis get gas, go shopping, and contribute to the generation of money to these tyrants that run the world. It is so imperative that we utilize the scholarship and wisdom from Wenar so that we can move forward towards a peaceful beginning on new and improved trade.

References:

Leif Wenar (2016), Blood Oil: Tyrants, Violence, and the Rules That Run the World: Oxford University Press