MenuVladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine has provided the U.S. with a critical opportunity to diminish Russia’s influence over its neighbors by giving them technical assistance, economic development, and security that neither Moscow nor Beijing can. Read the full article…
Category Archives: Geopolitics
Strategic Petroleum Reserve Release Should Help Americans, Hurt Putin
Oil prices experienced their largest weekly losses in over two years following President Joe Biden’s announcement to release some 180 million barrels of oil (mbd) from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR). The 6-month, 1 million barrel per day (bpd) injection is the largest in U.S. history and marks the third time Washington has tapped into Department of Energy
Putin’s War in Ukraine Forces New Energy Reality on Europe
During President Joe Biden’s visit to Europe, the US struck a deal with the EU to boost its liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply as the trade bloc seeks to reduce its dependence on Russian gas. The war in Ukraine highlighted the Old Continent’s unsustainable Russian energy habit. Read the full article…
Can Energy Exports Save The Russian War Machine Facing Western Sanctions?
Last week President Joe Biden announced a complete ban on Russian oil and gas imports – the latest in a series of debilitating sanctions meant to punish Russian President Vladimir Putin for his crimes against Ukraine. The declaration followed an already steady stream of US and Western energy companies who were departing the Russian marketplace on their
The US Bans Russian Energy Imports – Symbolically
As Russia’s war in Ukraine intensifies, the Biden administration banned Russian oil and natural gas purchases. This move represents a departure from initial Western sanctions against the Kremlin, designed specifically to avoid interference in Russian energy flows – particularly to import-dependent Europe. Read the full article here…
Power Transition in Turkmenistan Could Mean Big Changes for Neighbors
The forthcoming political change will affect vast energy resources, especially natural gas, in Turkmenistan, one of the most isolated and impoverished countries in Eurasia. Read the full article…
EU’s Rebranding Of Natural Gas And Nuclear Power As ‘Green Investments’ Could Not Come At A Better Time
Tensions between Russia and the West over a possible invasion of Ukraine have reached their zenith. If a shooting war between the two ex-Soviet states does erupt, it will likely happen within the next 72 hours, or not at all (this does not preclude the possibility of limited border incursions by Russian troops or perhaps the
The Future of Western Energy Investments in Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan is an oil and natural resource-rich country and consequently the destination for a great deal of energy and other investment. Western companies with an economic interest in Kazakhstan, such as Chevron and Exxon Mobil, are now assessing the security of their investments. For now, things seem stable. Read the full article…
Political Risks and Hobbesian Warfare Complicate Libyan Gas Supply for Europe
Since 2011, Libya has been suffering from a Hobbesian state of the war of all against all. Chaos, violence, and warfare massively impaired the north African energy giant’s oil and gas supplies. Read the full article…
Kazakhstan’s Stress Test: The January Tragedy and its Aftermath
In the first weeks of 2022, Kazakhstan experienced its most intense protests since the collapse of the Soviet Union. The causes of the turmoil in the country – like any major upheaval – are multi-faceted and were long in the making. Read the full article…