Before 1960, Belgium and its king Leopold ruled the Congo region. They held large interests in the rubber industry and created harsh labor camps that exploited the population. This is why, after gaining independence in 1960, the country then known as Zaire plunged into chaos. Military unrest coupled with the oppression of warlords throughout the region made it a very unstable state, ready to collapse. Today, UN peacekeeping forces occupy posts in the country to maintain its stability. The United States has had foreign relations with this country since 1960 and has signed numerous treaties to help promote growth in the region. One of these documents is the Peace, Security, and Cooperation Framework that exists between the United States and the Democratic Republic of Congo as well as 10 other African countries. I believe that the framework of peace, security and cooperation certainly helps to promote the best interests of the United States in the DRC through access to oil, the prevention of military destabilization in the region as well as the benefits derived African companies. The oil-exporting countries of the Middle East have a monopoly on drilling and distributing oil in the world today. To break this monopoly, the United States must look elsewhere for this precious resource. One of these sources is located in the heart of the African continent, in the DRC or Democratic Republic of Congo. The country still produces more oil than it consumes and the DRC is also the second largest producer of natural gas in sub-Saharan Africa. The two countries have signed a bilateral investment treaty and this export is not unilateral exploitation. The United States provides the DRC with pharmaceuticals, wheat and many other resources. Furthermore...... middle of paper ......stitute." (SSI). Np, January 2010. Web. April 3, 2014. "Children from eastern DR Congo seek refuge in Uganda." CountryWatch. CountryWatch, August 2013. Web. April 3, 2014. "Democratic Republic of Congo." Global geography: understanding a changing world. ABC - CLIO, 2014. Web. April 3, 2014. " Doing business in Congo , Dem. - World Bank Group. " Doing Business in Congo, Democratic Rep. - World Bank Group. World Bank, January 1, 2014. Web. April 3, 2014. Portlock, Sarah. " The Wall Street Journal. " Real Time Economics RSS. Wall StreetJournal, September 13, 2013. Web. April 3, 2014. “United States Relations with the Democratic Republic of the Congo.” United States Department of State, November 8, 2013. Web. "CE WHAT WE DO." U.S. Africa Command, nd Web, April 3.. 2014.