The world is watching Equatorial Guinea. Human rights groups see the tiny West African nation, like many other oil-producing countries in the region, as a test case for whether international financiers, oil companies, and civil society can work together to channel petrodollars away from corrupt institutions and toward sustainable development. If there ever was a time for Equatorial Guinea to fully embrace international transparency initiatives, it.'s now. Recent publicity over a failed coup in March still keeps corporate antagonists awake at night; across the internet and in print there are conspiracy theories about what role "Big Oil" might have played in the debacle. More recently, a US Senate subcommittee released a report July 14 detailing its investigation of alleged money laundering between Equatorial Guinea officials and the prominent Washington, DC-based financial institution Riggs Bank NA. The ongoing scandal surrounding Riggs's conduct with Equatorial Guinea will likely mean US policymakers find themselves now more than ever having to study what new role oil firms could play to promote good governance in Africa and elsewhere.