Before 1960, Belgium and its king Leopold ruled the Congo region. They had large interests in the rubber industry and created harsh labor camps that exploited people. That's why, after gaining independence in 1960, the nation then known as Zaire descended into chaos. Military unrest coupled with oppression by warlords across the region has made it a very unstable state, ripe for collapse. Nowadays, United Nations peacekeeping forces hold positions in the nation to maintain its stability. The United States has had foreign relations with the country since 1960 and has signed numerous treaties to help promote growth in the region. One such document 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 nations. I believe that the peace, security and cooperation framework certainly helps advance US interests in the DRC through access to oil, prevention of military destabilization in the region, and benefits from African businesses. The oil-exporting countries of the Middle East have a monopoly on oil drilling and distribution in the world today. To break this monopoly, the United States must look elsewhere to find such a valuable resource. One of these sources is located in the heart of the African continent, the DRC or Democratic Republic of Congo. The nation still produces more oil than it consumes, and the DRC is also the second largest producer of natural gas in sub-Saharan Africa. Both nations have signed a bilateral investment treaty and this export is not unilateral exploitation. The United States supplies the DRC with pharmaceuticals, grain, and many other resources. Also... half of the document... institute." (SSI). Np, January 2010. Web. 03 April 2014. "Children from eastern Democratic Republic of Congo seek refuge in Uganda." CountryWatch. CountryWatch, August 2013. Web. 3 April 2014. "Democratic Republic of Congo". World Geography: Understanding a Changing World. ABC - CLIO, 2014. Web 3 April 2014. - World Bank Group." Doing Business in Congo, Democratic Rep. - World Bank Group. World Bank, 1 January 2014. Web. 3 April 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.” U.S. Department of State, November 8, 2013. Web. “WHAT WE DO.” United States Africa Command. 2014.