Foreign Policy Blogs

Energy & Environment

On most things we can muddle through, for climate change that just won’t do

On most things we can muddle through, for climate change that just won’t do

When Congress makes a mistake in determining important economic policy like setting the tax rate or implementing a new trade policy, the results can be pretty awful. Unexpected inflation might take place, jobs might be lost, and personal savings might crumble. In the most severe cases, these disruptions might result in economic recession, or worse, […]

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America’s Need for Clean and Resilient Energy Infrastructure can make its Global Climate Leadership Smart Again

America’s Need for Clean and Resilient Energy Infrastructure can make its Global Climate Leadership Smart Again

With a new president-elect in the White House, it is now time for America to move forward with bipartisan efforts to resuscitate its global leadership. However, this return to normalcy depends on the liberal epicenter’s techno-industrial quest for energy infrastructure modernization and innovation (especially in adaptive energy management systems). Confronted with the inevitable 21st-century thrust […]

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COVID-19’s Impact on Energy Markets

COVID-19’s Impact on Energy Markets

With COVID-19 spread across the globe and spikes of cases emerging, economies have fallen into recession and energy markets have been severely impacted, bottoming out in April. The global gross domestic product (GDP) in 2020 is now projected by the International Monetary Fund to decline to -4.9%; global GDP in 2019 was 2.9%. Furthermore, historic […]

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Transatlantic energy security: beyond Nord Stream 2

Transatlantic energy security: beyond Nord Stream 2

There are two major topics in transatlantic relations that constantly hit the headlines: burden sharing and energy security. The latter is best exemplified by Nord Stream 2—a pipeline that will transport natural gas from Russia to Germany while bypassing Ukraine—which has driven a wedge between European and transatlantic unity. If completed, this pipeline would challenge the principle of fair play in the European market, existing European regulatory protections for consumers, and the political cohesion of the transatlantic relationship.

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Where Next with North Korea and Negotiations

Where Next with North Korea and Negotiations

With recent rocket tests being conducted by North Korea (the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea – DPRK), it appears the regime of Kim Jung Un is pushing the bounds of sanctions and effectiveness of the negotiation process with the international community, including bilaterally with President Trump. Not only has it tested missiles (demonstrating a potential […]

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Venezuela’s Dilemma And Where Energy Fits

Venezuela’s Dilemma And Where Energy Fits

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Continued Uncertainty in DRC Hindering Energy Growth

Continued Uncertainty in DRC Hindering Energy Growth

The Democratic Republic of Congo has had its national election delayed again by President Joseph Kabila; on this occasion the election was delayed one week to December 30 and the announcement came three days before citizens were scheduled to head to the polls. On December 26, the electoral commission (CENI) announced elections in three regions […]

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Op-Ed: Why Financing Africa’s Energy Infrastructure is a Major Opportunity for Investors

Op-Ed: Why Financing Africa’s Energy Infrastructure is a Major Opportunity for Investors

Accessible, reliable and affordable energy is the cornerstone of transformational socio-economic development. For Africa, delivering sustainable development is dependent on meeting the continent’s energy needs in order to lift populations out of poverty, catalyze industrialization, and stimulate economic growth. Despite the continent’s abundant energy resources, energy poverty is still rife in the continent with close […]

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Qatar’s Slight Energy Fallout From The Blockade

Qatar’s Slight Energy Fallout From The Blockade

Being a small – by land mass – nation on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula, news about Qatar may not be at the tip of the tongue of global citizens. The population has reached nearly 2.6 million, with only 200,000 being Qatari and much of the balance is composed of migrant workers. However, […]

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The Legal Option to Stop Nord Stream 2

The Legal Option to Stop Nord Stream 2

In Soviet mythology, the health of a country’s economy, national power, and influence in the world are directly linked to the performance of its oil and gas industries. The famous Russian gas project, Nord Stream 2, threatens to disturb the European Union family, emphasizing the contrasting interests of various EU nations. The Castro 10 vessel […]

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China and India Establish “Oil Buyers’ Club” to Counter OPEC

China and India Establish “Oil Buyers’ Club” to Counter OPEC

    On June 11, major Chinese and Indian oil companies started a formal meeting in Beijing, discussing the establishment of an “oil buyers’ club” to negotiate better prices with OPEC countries. The chairman of China’s biggest energy company China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), Wang Yilin, and the chairman of refiner Indian Oil Corporation both […]

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The Globalization of Solar Panels: Solar Mamas at work

The Globalization of Solar Panels: Solar Mamas at work

Some cities are now betting on the proliferation of sustainable and local sources of energy. The idea was born in the forgotten network (inaccessible cities, suburbs, rural villages) and then is organized as such, that it questions today’s centralized national production of the world’s leading power source. Cities are not only going through an energy […]

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Cape Town Awaits “Day Zero”

Cape Town Awaits “Day Zero”

Picture from City of Cape Town. (Source: Alberton Record) Cape Town, South Africa (a city of four million people) is at a dangerous inflection point. National Public Radio (NPR) reports that South Africa’s second main economic driver and Africa’s third main economic hub city could be the first major city in the developed world to […]

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Unleashing Nigeria’s Energy Potential?

Unleashing Nigeria’s Energy Potential?

Nigeria, the continent’s most populous country with nearly 200 million citizens, is awash in energy riches with large oil and gas reserves.

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Energy Security Is a Matter of National Security Say Retired Military Leaders

Energy Security Is a Matter of National Security Say Retired Military Leaders

The military faces an array of strategic and tactical concerns that have propelled it to become a leader in energy innovation.

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