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Where there is a global demand and dependentcy on something, be it oil or drugs, legal or illegal, the exploytation of the earth and the poor unfortunate occupants of that region will always drop to the bottom of the pecking order as expendable. We are all part of a global cycle of corporate greed.

Longtime world-weary observation:

"Africa and its problems would be on the front page every day -- if only it had oil."

So -- Africa's got oil!

What is the effect, if any, of this development on the attention of world leaders and press?

can you compare the experience of African countries (particularly Nigeria) to that of Indonesia under Suharto. It seems that despite the coruption of Suharto, Indonesia's economy grew under his rule -- at least until the Asian currency crisis in the late 1990's.