The Bush Administration’s “Good Friend” in Equatorial Guinea

Liberal Oasis has an enlightening post about the warm relationship between the Bush administration and Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, the president of Equatorial Guinea — a relationship that can only be explained by the U.S.’s interest in the country’s plentiful oil reserves, given its equally plentiful political repression (emphasis in the original):

Yesterday, Condi Rice stood next to Equatorial Guinea President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo — a man who has made Parade’s “Annual List of the World’s 10 Worst Dictators” four years running — and called him “a good friend.”

Then, with Obiang at her side, she proceed to threaten Iran, calling on the U.N. Security Council to take “strong steps” against it.

This hypocrisy would be funny, if it weren’t so damaging to our national security.

Rice just two months ago reiterated our foreign policy objectives as “stem the tide of terrorism and to help advance freedom and democratic rights.”

In turn, she said our Iran policy is to “actively confront the aggressive policies of the Iranian regime. At the same time, we will work to support the aspirations of the Iranian people for freedom and democracy in their country.”

And about one year ago, Rice proclaimed, “the Middle East is changing and even the unelected leaders in Tehran must recognize this fact. They must know that the energy of reform that is building all around them will one day inspire Iran’s citizens to demand their liberty and their rights.”

Apparently, the unelected leaders of Tehran must recognize that freedom is on the march, but the unelected leader of Equatorial Guinea can skip it.

Rice’s “good friend” Mr. Obiang is primarily known for living the high life off his country’s relatively newfound oil revenues, while his people live on less than $1 a day without clean water.

And Rice’s own State Department has complied quite a rap sheet on Obiang’s rule, including these gems:

— In September [2005] [Amnesty International] reported that torture was widespread in the country’s places of detention and during the course of trials.

— In 2004 senior government officials told foreign diplomats that human rights did not apply to criminals and that torture of known criminals was not a human rights abuse.

— Unlike [2004], there were no reports that prisoners died from torture; however, there were reports that officials tortured political opposition activists and other persons during the year.

— An independent or privately owned press was nearly nonexistent … Foreign celebrity and sports publications were available for sale at foreign-owned grocery stores, but no newspapers; there were no bookstores or newsstands in the country.

— The law authorizes government censorship of all publications. During the year the Ministry of Information sometimes required publishers to submit a copy for approval prior to publication.

— The president’s son, Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, owned the only private radio station, Radio Asonga.

Gee, why does Obiang get to be Condi’s “good friend” and the Iran mullahs get threatened with tactical nuclear weapons?

Cause we already have our hands on Equatorial Guinea’s oil, silly.

Rice threatening of Iran while coddling Obiang puts Bush’s democracy hypocrisy in sharp focus.