China's risky investments in Iraq

DIIS senior researcher Luke Patey recently discussed China’s oil investments in Iraq with Financial Times (Please note: paywall)and AFP. ‘Chinese national oil companies have been investing dangerously for over a decade, and they need to now increase efforts to diversity their overseas investments towards more stable countries," said Patey. Chinese and western companies have evacuated staff from Iraq due to the rising threat of the militant group the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

Patey’s book, The New Kings of Crude: China, India, and the Global Struggle for Oil in Sudan and South Sudan, was also recently reviewed by the Petroelum Economist and the LSE Review of Books.

‘[Patey] presents a solid, exhaustive account of how Sudan, while allowing China and India to expand their international footprints, proved a coming-of-age for both. The scholarship is obvious, but Patey also tells a cracking tale.’ — Anthea Pitt, Petroleum Economist (Download full review here, pdf, 165 KB)

‘Rather than describing a passive engagement with external actors that so often is used to define African countries’ policies, this book offers a refreshing look at Africa’s direct engagement and influence through its civil wars, rebellions, trade, and resources—proving an indispensable read for a clear understanding of the issues surrounding Sudan and South Sudan’s current crisis.’ — LSE Review of Books (Read the full book review here)