Oil Corruption: How the United States Can Counteract a Curse

The oil industry has been entangled in serious corruption controversies, from the legality of some companies’ stance on climate change to dealings with producer-country governments. In response, the U.S. government has shown leadership over the past decade in helping bring more transparency to the sector. What are the dimensions of this problem? What is the status of the U.S. commitment?

Carnegie and Global Witness hosted an engaging discussion of new findings by Global Witness on Shell’s activities in Nigeria, why corruption in this key economic sector matters, and how the U.S. government—and companies—can be part of the solution.

Steve Coll

Steve Coll is dean of the Columbia School of Journalism and a staff writer at The New Yorker. He wrote Private Empire: ExxonMobil and American Power.

Olarenwaju Suraju

Olarenwaju Suraju is a Nigerian anticorruption and environmental activist, chair of that country’s Civil Society Network Against Corruption, and of the Human and Environmental Development Agenda.

Simon Taylor

Simon Taylor is a co-founding director of the international anticorruption organization Global Witness.

Sarah Chayes

Sarah Chayes is a senior fellow in Carnegie’s Democracy and Rule of Law Program, and co-author of “The Oil Curse: A Remedial Role for the Oil Industry.”