International Market Analysis

 

Category Archives: Energy Security

NIMBY Is Choking America’s Nuclear Revival

The United States has struggled with the disposal of spent nuclear fuel for decades. As AI data centers are popping up like mushrooms after a summer shower, the country’s electricity supply faces a massive projected shortage, and scaling up nuclear power production is a must. The lack of a nationwide system for reprocessing or disposing

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Can Plutonium Shift From Cold War Weapon To Energy Asset?

As AI drives rising energy demand, the Trump Administration is exploring an unconventional energy source: surplus nuclear-weapons-grade plutonium from the Cold War. In May 2026, the Department of Energy, under its Surplus Plutonium Utilization Program, selected five companies—Oklo, Flibe Energy, Exodys Energy, SHINE Technologies, and Standard Nuclear— to examine whether the excess plutonium can be converted

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Water Is A Weapon In The Third Gulf War

If the current Gulf War, marked by controversy over control of the Strait of Hormuz, does not end soon, the conflict may shift from attacks on the transport of oil by sea to disrupting vital potable water resources. Just before President Trump announced Thursday, June 11, that the ceasefire is to be signed imminently, the U.S. allegedly

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Iranian Aggression Masks Economic Difficulties

Since June 7, Iran and its proxy, the Houthi rebels (with their rallying cry, “God is great, death to America, death to Israel, a curse upon the Jews, victory to Islam”), have launched more than 30 ballistic missiles at Israel, prompting the Israelis to retaliate with airstrikes, and setting the stage for renewed hostilities and escalating

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A Tale Of Two Oil Shocks: Why 2026 Feels Big, But Isn’t As Big As 1973

As the world watches the next act in the U.S.-Iran drama with bated breath, the headlines write themselves: the worst oil disruption in history, a fifth of global supply at risk, and Brent crude close to $110. The International Energy Agency has warned that the ongoing Iran War represents an unprecedented supply shock. Yet before declaring this

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The Struggle To Redraw Eurasia’s Energy Map

Russian missiles continue pounding Ukraine’s energy infrastructure despite President Vladimir Putin’s unilateral declaration of a ceasefire on May 9th. Earlier, Russian Deputy ‌Prime Minister Alexander Novak announced the suspension of Kazakh crude oil supplies via the Druzhba pipeline to Germany starting May 1st. This pipeline, which became operational in the 1960s, runs from Tatarstan, Russia, and branches through Belarus

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What Hormuz Whiplash Means For Markets

The world is fighting a two-front energy war. One front runs through the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran and the United States are locked in a standoff. My old acquaintance, International Energy Agency Executive Director Fatih Birol, called this the worst energy shock in history, more severe than the 1970s oil crisis and the Ukraine war combined. The second front runs through

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Even For Americans, In A War, Energy Independence Has Its Limits

Oil prices collapsed from $119.54 in the Asian intra-day trade on March 9th to $89.88 on April 17th, after Iran announced that, following a ceasefire in Lebanon, it would keep the Strait of Hormuz open for the duration of the ceasefire. While no one knows exactly what will happen next as far as the conflict goes, it is

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