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The cover of The Looting Machine

The Looting Machine

Tom Burgis

Why do African countries rich in oil and minerals stay so poor, and who takes the profits from their resources?

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At a glance

Author
Tom Burgis

Why read it

  • You will see how commodities from Africa reach shops in London and Los Angeles through hidden supply chains
  • You will understand how a shadowy network can hide behind offshore companies and complex corporate structures
  • You will question your own link to the trade, since pension funds invested in oil and mining share the profits

Who it is for

  • A reader asking why resource rich countries stay poor
  • A pension holder curious where investment returns come from
  • A development student studying Angola, Congo and Nigeria

Contents

  1. Author’s Note
  2. Introduction: A Curse of Riches
  3. 1. Futungo, Inc.
  4. 2. “It Is Forbidden to Piss in the Park”
  5. 3. Incubators of Poverty
  6. 4. Guanxi
  7. 5. When Elephants Fight, the Grass Gets Trampled
  8. 6. A Bridge to Beijing
  9. 7. Finance and Cyanide
  10. 8. God Has Nothing to Do with It
  11. 9. Black Gold
  12. 10. The New Money Kings
  13. Epilogue: Complicity

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