The connection between oil and conflict has been made since the earliest industrial uses of the fuel... Nevertheless, we need to consider the complexity of conflicts in regions like Chad far more carefully before assuming linear causality... Take the example of Equatorial Guinea, which has been a languishing dictatorship since its independence from Spain in 1968... Following the discovery of oil in the mid-1990s, the international community became more engaged with this tiny country. The United States...State department asserts that U.S. "intervention has resulted in positive developments," such as an office to monitor human rights in the country... Despite oil's tortured history and eventual demise as a fuel, it must not be summarily dismissed as a cause of turmoil in Africa. Rather it should be considered as a resource that needs to be managed with effective development planning. [refers to ChevronTexaco (now Chevron), Riggs Bank (now part of PNC Financial)]