Malawi, a small African nation with big ambitions, has taken on a massive fight. The government is demanding an astonishing $313 billion in unpaid taxes and revenue from three powerful companies: a US-based gemstone dealer, a French energy giant, and a Turkish tobacco firm. This amount is nearly 300 times more than the country’s national debt of $1.2 billion!

The Main Players

At the heart of the battle is Columbia Gem House, a family-owned American company accused of underreporting th...