The Conflict

The U'wa, a small tribe of Indians in northeastern Colombia, have sued Occidental Petroleum Corporation, because it is removing oil from their land—with the permission of the Colombian government.

Political

• The U'wa live on the land and object to the destruction of the land, pollution, and dislocation of the U'wa people caused by the oil drilling.
• FARC, a guerrilla group in Colombia, bombs pipelines and otherwise disrupts the oil production.
• Environmental groups around the world support the U'wa.
• The Colombian government supports Occidental, since the government wants Colombia to make money from one of its major resources.
• Occidental argues that FARC and other rebel groups oppose oil development because it increases government oversight of the area, interfering with their drug trafficking.

The global demand for new sources...