Big Oil Ignites Unrest, From Peru to Nigeria

Adam Case May 18, 2009

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Big Oil is making natives very restless. In Peru, the government’s decision to open the Amazon to oil exploration has sparked an uprising. Peruvians, fearing for their ancestral lands and livelihood, have been seizing and blockading transportation and production hubs.The government has ordered the military to quell the protesters. Having just signed a free trade agreement with the United States, Peruvian President Garica must ensure investment can occur in this region. The question is: Who will benefit from this initiative?The people in Nigeria’s Delta can answer this question. While the protester’s in Peru have rescinded their calls for an insurgency, the rebels in Nigeria have declared a total war.From the Americas to Africa, the struggle to fuel the global economy continues.

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Adam Case, a former In These Times editorial intern, is a San Diego-based I.W.W. organizer and freelance writer. He has traveled extensively throughout Latin America, encountering guerrillas, intellectuals and change-makers. But most of the time he tries to indulge his passions, which include surfing, social justice and a good Philly Cheesesteak.