MenuThe war in the Middle East and the on-again, off-again closure of the Strait of Hormuz have dominated news cycles for months. The oft-predicted economic apocalypse hasn’t materialized. Yet. Read the full article here.
Category Archives: Geopolitics
Bridge Between Pariahs: Russia North Korea Alliance Of Blood And Oil
As one door closes, another opens. For Russia, which lost European markets and relations, the doors of old Soviet allies and fellow pariahs open, this time in Pyongyang. Communist North Korea was Joseph Stalin’s creation, installed under Soviet occupation and formally established in 1948, then pulled back from collapse two years later by Mao Zedong’s
Trump Worries Ukraine Strategy Is Driving Up Diesel Prices
Russia faces an acute energy and fuel crisis following months of Ukrainian attacks on its refineries and other energy infrastructure. This has created long lines and economic slowdowns in Russia, forcing some regions to ration fuel. Read the full article here.
Energy Targets In The Sights Of Two Theaters Of War
On the first of this month, Ukrainian drones struck three oil refineries in Russia’s Bashkortostan region near the city of Ufa, around 1,600 kilometers from the border. A day later, Rosneft’s Saratov refinery was hit, a plant that processed 5.8 million tons of oil in 2024. These two incidents are part of a long list of damaging attacks on energy
Energy After Peace In Ukraine
Russia—the petrostate that spent a decade trying to weaponize natural gas against Europe—is now rationing fuel at home as shortages spread across the country. The Crimea has declared a state of emergency, and other occupied Ukrainian territories are struggling to secure adequate supplies as civilians continue to flee the deteriorating conditions. Ukraine’s sustained drone and missile campaign against Russian
Alliances Duel To Reshape Middle Eastern Energy
As the fighting in the Persian Gulf expands, competition between major region-adjacent powers, including Turkey and Pakistan, is plain to see. While Iran is attacking the U.S., Israel, Kuwait, the UAE, and other Gulf states, the Sunni bloc led by Turkey and Pakistan, with Saudi Arabia and Qatar as its members, is bobbing and weaving.
The Phony Ceasefire: Calm Before the Storm?
During the opening months of the Second World War, things moved slowly first in the period that became known as the Phony War, or Sitzkrieg in German. Following the fall of Poland in September 1939, and before Germany invaded Denmark and Norway in April 1940, the absence of sustained military operations created the illusion of normalcy.
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
The Iran Deal Drives Oil Prices Down, But Uncertainty Looms
The announcement that Washington and Tehran have agreed to end hostilities and restore commercial access to the Strait of Hormuz has had a massive impact on markets. Crude futures dropped sharply. Read the full article here.
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