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event

Study Group on Democracy in Oil Producing Countries

Tue. April 18th, 2000

Study Group on Democracy in Oil Producing Countries

Minutes

Many major oil producing countries are non-democratic. Until recently, neither the United States government nor the oil companies have considered this to be a problem. As long as a country was not openly hostile to the US and was willing to allow oil exploration and production by Western companies, the nature of its political system was considered to be a domestic matter in which outsiders should not meddle. Today, however, the lack of democracy in oil producing countries has become a problem not only for their citizens, but also for the oil companies and the US government. Dissatisfied groups that cannot make their voices heard through legitimate political channels are turning to violence, undermining the stability of many countries and sometimes directly threatening oil production. Furthermore, oil companies are now expected not only to remedy problems they directly cause, such as pollution, but to become involved in much broader concerns, such as civil wars, in the countries in which they operate. Yet it is unclear what role the United States government or the oil companies can or should play in addressing problems that are well beyond the relatively clear cut issues of taking responsibility for oil spills or compensating populations displaced by oil production.

Senior Associates Martha Olcott of the Russia/Eurasia Program and Marina Ottaway of the Democracy and Rule of Law Project at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace have brought together a group of individuals who address these issues in their professional capacity in governments, oil companies, and non-governmental organizations or who study them as part of their research activities. By convening such a diverse study group, the Endowment hopes to deepen the understanding of these issues through a series of discussions. The group will hold four sessions between February and May 2000.

Political ReformCaucasusRussia
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
event speakers

Martha Brill Olcott

Senior Associate, Russia and Eurasia Program and, Co-director, al-Farabi Carnegie Program on Central Asia

Olcott is professor emerita at Colgate University, having taught political science there from 1974 to 2002. Prior to her work at the endowment, Olcott served as a special consultant to former secretary of state Lawrence Eagleburger.

Marina Ottaway

Senior Associate, Middle East Program

Before joining the Endowment, Ottaway carried out research in Africa and in the Middle East for many years and taught at the University of Addis Ababa, the University of Zambia, the American University in Cairo, and the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa.