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.
Tag Archives: Energy Security
The Coming Copper Crunch
The price of copper surged over 40% in 2025 and continued to hit record highs in 2026, reflecting strong demand and highlighting the impact of supply constraints. Essential since the Bronze Age, copper has remained crucial to the global economy. Copper’s desirability and ubiquity stems from its thermal and electrical conductivity, malleability, and corrosion resistance, making it difficult to
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
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.
Hormuz Conflict Damages Persian Gulf Havens
The war with Iran and the recurrent closures of the Strait of Hormuz have rattled financial markets across the globe, but the greatest immediate costs are being borne by the Arab Gulf states, long safe havens of domestic and international investors. Missile strikes and drone attacks have damaged critical facilities, disrupted aviation, and undermined the
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
Canada As An Energy Superpower: Can It Unlock Its Potential?
Canada’s first-ever Investment Summit is scheduled for mid-September. The aim is to attract global capital for “nation-building” projects across energy, infrastructure, and critical minerals, demonstrating Ottawa’s efforts to expand the country’s role as a global energy supplier. Read the full article here.
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
Energy In Flux: How The Current Crisis Is Shaping The Future Of Energy
On April 4th, President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social: “Remember when I gave Iran ten days to make a deal or open up the Hormuz Strait. Time is running out…” Markets have been recoiling amid instability in the Middle East, and it does not appear that jittery investors will experience any relief in the near term. However, this
Three Ways Iran War Could End And What It Means For Global Energy
In the wake of American and Israeli strikes against Iran on February 28th, Tehran reacted swiftly, attacking energy infrastructure, water desalination plants, and other soft targets across the Middle East as well as moving to close the Strait of Hormuz. Closure of the vital Strait has long been foreseen by security experts, including this author, who warned