Have oil, will bargain

Western Sahara, a large, sand-filled land bordering Morocco, Algeria, and Mauritania recently found itself in the news after the head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Richard Lugar, paid a visit under the direction of President Bush. Senator Lugar was tasked with mediating the release of 404 Moroccan soldiers that had been captured by the West Saharan political front Polisario during their long-standing feud with the Moroccan government over self-determination.

Morocco continues to claim Western Sahara despite the fact that no state currently recognizes Moroccan sovereignty over the region. What crucial US interests would prompt such an intense and active diplomatic effort in this 30 year-old post-colonial hangover? The big “O” of course.

Kerr-McGee, the infamous Oklahoma energy concern that was the defendant during the Karen Silkwood contamination trial, along with French oil giant Total/Elf, contracted with the Moroccan government to explore Western Saharan waters with the hope of finding new oil reserves. However, given the uproar over the status of Western Saharan sovereignty, the exploration consortium fell apart leaving Kerr-McGee the only company still willing to continue work. The company has a number of influential board members including former Haliburton Chairman William E. Bradford and former Arthur Andersen Audit Division Head, Robert O. Lorenz.

Oh, those ties that bind!