Deemed one of the most-well-funded terrorist networks, the Islamist State in Syria and Iraq is reportedly making millions of dollars daily from smuggling, stealing, refining and selling oil. Completely shutting down their vast operation appears unlikely according to expert consensus. “When Islamic State fighters stormed across the Syrian border into Iraq and seized Mosul, a… Keep reading →
The shale gas revolution and the flood of cheap gas it unleashed have been great for US economic competitiveness, but its effects are far less favorable for Europe, said Paolo Scaroni, chief executive of Italy’s Eni, at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York yesterday. “Gas prices in Europe are three times as high as… Keep reading →
Two of the oil industry’s more colorful chief executives – Total’s Christophe de Margerie and Eni’s Paolo Scaroni – provided some choice remarks on a range of energy-related topics yesterday at a Council on Foreign Relations event, The Future of Energy. They were joined by Michael Levi, director of the Council’s program on energy security… Keep reading →
The closing of the American West just over a century ago was thought to be the end of a long chapter of human exploration that was as inspiring and enriching as it often was destructive and painful. New evidence that the far northern reaches of the globe are becoming increasingly passable and habitable means that… Keep reading →
Natural gas production gains spurred by the unconventional revolution upended long-held beliefs about resource scarcity in the US, leading to calls for exports. And the rise in US unconventional crude production has led to similar calls for exporting oil. “Federal lawmakers should overturn the ban on exporting crude oil produced in the United States,” said Blake… Keep reading →
Many younger professionals working today have had a hard time in jumpstarting their careers. For all the talk of coddled millennials, many graduated into the worst job market in decades with significant student debt and facing the kind of industry disruptions that tend to result in mass layoffs amid serious fundamental skills mismatches. It… Keep reading →
The Council on Foreign Relations’ International Institutions and Global Governance (IIGG) Program has chided the US for its failure to provide leadership in efforts to combat climate change. IIGG’s Climate Change report card gave the US a middling-to-poor C-minus for its performance on tackling global climate change. The US was lumped in with China in… Keep reading →
As nations continue to wrangle over the control, development and transportation of Caspian basin oil and gas resources, recent new discoveries in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea have raised the potential conflict level between governments, corporations and other relevant parties. But the discovery of what appear to be substantial natural gas deposits, also presents great opportunity.
“There was some concern a number of months ago about these gas finds off the southern coast of Cyprus… now the US would have to have more of a naval presence in the Eastern Mediterranean in order to de-conflict these forces..,” Steven A. Cook, Council on Foreign Relations’ Hasib J. Sabbagh Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies told journalists at a recent roundtable for select media. Keep reading →
