Reading: Making a Killing

I've spent a lot of time over the past few years doing activism around Talisman Energy Inc.'s involvement in war-torn Sudan. Talisman is a Calgary-based Canadian oil company who don't seem to mind the use of military force to advance their profits.

Now Globe & Mail reporter Madelaine Drohan has published a book about how some corporations cross the line into the overt use of violence to advance their interests. Making a Killing: How and Why Corporations Use Armed Force to Do Business covers the specific cases of a number of corporations since the 19th century who have used violence to get their way.

Drohan combines research with her direct experiences of the more recent examples - gleaned through years of journalistic work both in Canada and throughout Africa.

I found the chapter dedicated to Talisman and Sudan to be quite solid, especially given my own experience and knowledge around the issues and events.