Lost in much of the coverage of the Sudanese-Darfur conflict is the battle over oil, with the West and China squaring off.

But that is the story in much of Africa, where oil -- and diamonds -- are natural resources that Africa has -- and that nations and companies outside of the continent covet.

It is Africa's horrible misfortune that proxy wars are fueled by those same business interests (along with the involvement of weapons merchants who profit from all sides).

We have offered a solid Hollywood film on how "Blood Diamonds" have played a role in the ruinous conflicts in Africa. Now we are offering a well-written book that is a journey through how a natural resource that should improve the standard of living in Africa -- oil -- is, instead, proving ruinous to so many lives there.

"Untapped: The Scramble for Africa's Oil" is a portrait of a "continent under siege."