To Have and Yet Have Nought

Two stories in the papers this morning about the paradoxical resource curse that so often befalls poor countries unlucky enough to be rich in things like crude oil and precious minerals (but not rich enough to exploit those riches themselves): One is from the New York Times about mining operations in Papua; the other, from the Los Angeles Times, is set in Belize, and stars a cast of characters straight out of a Graham Greene novel. It seems a Mennonite farmer struck oil (Black Gold, Texas Tea) Jed Clampett-style, while sinking a well on his land. The discovery has brought fortune hunters out of the woodwork and with crude at $60 a barrel, many Belizeans hope the newfound wealth will help their little country prosper. They shouldn't count on it. After all, just look at countries like Nigeria, where residents of the oil-rich Niger Delta have suffered continued poverty and an environmental holocaust to boot. Old Jed may have become a millionaire, but most times the story doesn't work out that way. In Papua, tensions engendered by the resource curse have led to rioting and protests against mining conglomerates. The report says events demonstrate how "times are changing for multinational companies and governments long used to working out concessions in remote areas with a handshake, over the heads of local people." Perhaps, but the prospects for environmental justice still seem a long way off.