MenuIt has been over six months since the Houthis, a Yemen-based Iranian-backed militia, began attempting to hold the world’s economy hostage by attacking civilian shipping in the Red Sea, a vital trade corridor between Europe and Asia. It was quickly recognized that the Houthis had to be stopped. The West responded with “Operation Prosperity Guardian,”
Category Archives: Articles & Blogs
American Solar’s Way Forward
In Q1 2024, 11 gigawatts of solar module manufacturing capacity were activated in the United States. This represents a 71% increase, making it the largest quarterly capacity increase in American history. That is enough electricity to power 8.2 million homes. Amidst such good news, it is easy to ignore the looming problems associated with American
China And Russia Now Dominate The Global Nuclear Trade
The global competition between the West and the rest takes many forms, including in the energy area. The nuclear energy industry has long been such a battlefield. Unfortunately, the U.S. and Europe are not doing great when it comes to winning bids in the developing world. In late May 2024, Uzbekistan signed an agreement with
China’s Massive Barrage In The Chip Battle
In the ongoing Sino-American trade war; China has made a massive move, in which semiconductor chip tech is a key battleground. Beijing’s latest investment into its chips is its largest yet, with $47.5 billion pumped into semiconductor R&D and manufacturing as part of the third phase of the China Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund, also known as
AI Is Pushing the World Toward an Energy Crisis
The dramatic resignation of Ilya Sutskever, the chief scientist of OpenAI, which is behind artificial intelligence and large language models like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, has reinvigorated public debates on the future of AI and its exorbitant costs. Beyond the many acknowledged concerns, such as AI safety or the future of work and creativity, there is a trade-off
Texas’ Avoidable Blackout
The isolation of the Texas power grid has become a symbol of the state’s independent streak and resistance to federal oversight in recent years. The massive outages during Winter Storm Uri in 2021 were a wake-up call to the vulnerabilities of Texas’ system. However, crises in Summer 2022 and Winter 2023 were still severe. Now it seems Texas now confronts another
China’s New Naval Tech: Environmental Dream and Security Nightmare
The world’s largest electric container ship, constructed by China’s COSCO Shipping Corporation, completed its first-ever voyage on April 22. This ship alone will save thousands of tons of carbon emissions in just a few trips, a feat that the climate-conscious worldwide should applaud. Carbon emissions from international shipping, vital for global trade, are upward-trending, contributing to global climate change, and must be
An ‘East Asian NATO’ is Forming
Washington hosted one of the most significant shifts in the world’s security architecture since the collapse of the Soviet Union. On April 11, an unprecedented trilateral summit brought together U.S. allies Japan and the Philippines, potentially setting the stage for a spectacular shift in Asia’s Sino-American balance of power. Read More
Revitalizing U.S. Energy Policy for the 21st Century
The United States is undergoing a growing politicization of the energy transition, a “megatrend,” as Alexander Mirtchev, a Distinguished Professor at George Mason University, called it in his magisterial book on the subject, The Prologue. Such polarization is typical for other transformative technological and policy issues in America, from abortion to gun control. Read the full
Russia | Change of Defense Minister: Sergei Shoigu Moved to Russia’s Security Council
Dr. Ariel Cohen provides his commentary on BBC concerning a sudden change in Russia’s defense minister and Sergei Shoigu’s move to Russia’s Security Council. In this interview, Dr. Cohen discusses the implications of these changes and what they could mean for the war in Ukraine. Watch Here