Analysts and traders have their eyes trained on Iraq, where an Al Qaeda splinter group known as the Islamic State in Iraq in the Levant seized control of Mosul – the country’s second largest city – and have reportedly made advancements toward a strategic oil refining center. The main oil production export centers do not… Keep reading →
In light of recent events in Ukraine, it is in imperative that the European Union break the stranglehold that Russia currently has on the European natural gas market, and begin the search to diversify their sources of natural gas. By doing so, the European Union can insulate itself from the deleterious economic effects that may… Keep reading →
Iraq’s Oil Ministry is taking legal action against The Republic of Turkey and state-owned pipeline operator BOTAŞ, further ratcheting up tensions between Baghdad and the Kurdish Regional Government over oil exports. The ministry filed an arbitration request with the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in Paris in response to reports that oil pumped from Iraqi… Keep reading →
A Russian natural gas supply cutoff to Ukraine due to unpaid bills in the amount of $3.51 billion – which could occur next month – would also indirectly impact the European Union. Over half of Russia’s gas exports to Europe transit the Ukraine. A recent Bloomberg article draws the conclusion that it will be extremely difficult for Europe… Keep reading →
Piping Israeli gas to liquefaction plants in Egypt is the most commercially logical option but remains politically risky. The announcement of a letter of intent between the partners in Israel’s giant Tamar natural gas field and the Spanish owners of a liquefied natural gas plant on Egypt’s Nile Delta coast is a major breakthrough, one… Keep reading →
On Friday, President Obama met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the White House and seemed to dismiss the notion that Russia would “turn off the tap to Europe” by calling it “unrealistic”. He added that natural gas kept flowing even at the height of the Cold War. Both leaders appeared to be ready and… Keep reading →
Iraqis headed to the polls today to vote in national parliamentary elections that will decide who sits on the Council of Representatives for the next four-year term. The complicated process of new government formation and presidential selection will then unfold over the coming months. There is clearly much at stake domestically and regionally. The degree… Keep reading →
Washington has rightfully avoided backing a candidate in next week’s [today’s] elections, but it should still use counterterrorism assistance and other levers to push Baghdad on pluralism and KRG oil revenue sharing during the presumably lengthy transition period. On April 30, the Iraqi public will vote in national parliamentary elections, establishing the next four-year term… Keep reading →
Two timely research studies from think tanks inside the Beltway address energy security with particular focus on America’s new role in rearranging the established global energy order. This order is in flux precisely because of the renaissance in the American energy sector ignited by its shale (tight) oil and gas boom. Over the last decade,… Keep reading →
The development of Arctic energy resources poses the potential for an energy security competition between the Great Powers and Arctic stakeholders that will alter the geopolitical climate. The hydrocarbon reserves – 25% of world deposits- available under the melting ice caps, and undiscovered oil and gas will see states shifting their economic and foreign policy… Keep reading →
