• Research
  • Emissary
  • About
  • Experts
Carnegie Global logoCarnegie lettermark logo
DemocracyIran
  • Donate
Podcast Episode

Chayes, Coll, and Suraju on Corruption in the Oil Industry

Sarah Chayes, Steve Coll, and Olarenwaju Suraju discussed how corruption can become an inextricable part of an economy and how civil society and the U.S. government can work to prevent it. (Runtime - 22:21)

Link Copied
By Deborah Gordon, Sarah Chayes, Steve Coll, Olarenwaju Suraju
Published on Sep 8, 2017

Subscribe on

YoutubeSpotifyApple PodcastsOvercastPlayer FM

The oil industry has long been an attractive target for corruption and corrupt actors. State owned oil companies have frequently been accused of being a conduit for syphoning off public funds into private bank accounts, despite repeated civil society efforts to fight these networks of corruption in countries like Brazil and Nigeria. Guest host Deborah Gordon is joined by Carnegie Senior Fellow Sarah Chayes, dean of Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism and author Steve Coll, and Nigerian anticorruption activist Olarenwaju Suraju to discuss how corruption can become an inextricable part of an economy and how civil society and the U.S. government can work to prevent it.

Steve Coll is dean of the Columbia University School of Journalism and a staff writer at the New Yorker. He is the author of a bestselling profile of ExxonMobil called Private Empire: ExxonMobil and American Power.

Olarenwaju Suraju is a Nigerian anticorruption and environmental activist, chair of that country’s Civil Society Network Against Corruption, and of the Human and Environmental Development Agenda.

Sarah Chayes is a senior fellow in Carnegie’s Democracy and Rule of Law Program, and co-author of “The Oil Curse: A Remedial Role for the Oil Industry.”

Hosted by

Deborah Gordon
Former Director and Senior Fellow, Energy and Climate Program
Deborah Gordon
Sarah Chayes
Former Senior Fellow, Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program
Sarah Chayes
Steve Coll

Steve Coll is dean of the Columbia School of Journalism.

Olarenwaju Suraju

Olarenwaju Suraju is a Nigerian anticorruption and environmental activist, chair of that country’s Civil Society Network Against Corruption, and of the Human and Environmental Development Agenda.

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.

More Work from The World Unpacked

  • The World Unpacked
    Podcast Episode
    How a U.S.-China War Would Unfold

    A U.S.-China war over Taiwan would be catastrophic for all sides and the world. Preventing such a war requires understanding how it might unfold—from start to finish—including worst-case scenarios.

      • Jon Bateman

      Jon Bateman, Charles Hooper

  • A New Middle East?
    Podcast Episode
    In the New Middle East, No One Is In Charge

    Marwan Muasher—a former foreign minister of Jordan and now a VP at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace—joins The World Unpacked to make sense of a region in flux.

      • Jon Bateman

      Jon Bateman, Marwan Muasher

  • Theo Baker
    Podcast Episode
    Is Silicon Valley Corrupting Stanford?

    Theo Baker is no ordinary college senior. His student newspaper articles brought down Stanford’s president. Now he’s written a book about the making of the young tech elite. 

      • Jon Bateman
      • Theo Baker

      Jon Bateman, Theo Baker

  • Alexandra Prokopenko
    Podcast Episode
    Putin Is Losing His Grip on Russia

    Alexandra Prokopenko, a former Moscow insider who quit over the Ukraine War, says that Vladimir Putin has lost focus on running the country. She joins Jon Bateman on The World Unpacked to explain the erosion of Russia’s social contract and share stories from her new book From Sovereigns to Servants: How the War Against Ukraine Reshaped Russia’s Elite.

      • Jon Bateman

      Jon Bateman, Alexandra Prokopenko

  • Podcast Episode
    What to Know Before Trump Attacks Cuba

    Javier Corrales and host Jon Bateman discuss Cuba’s economic vulnerability, its political staying power, and why Trump might wind up making a deal with the Castros very similar to one made by Barack Obama. 

      • Jon Bateman

      Jon Bateman, Javier Corrales

Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Carnegie global logo, stacked
1779 Massachusetts Avenue NWWashington, DC, 20036-2103Phone: 202 483 7600
  • Research
  • Emissary
  • About
  • Experts
  • Donate
  • Programs
  • Events
  • Blogs
  • Podcasts
  • Contact
  • Annual Reports
  • Careers
  • Privacy
  • For Media
  • Government Resources
Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
© 2026 Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. All rights reserved.