Foreign Policy Blogs

Energy

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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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 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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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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Energy Security in North Korea: From Defiance to Survival

Energy Security in North Korea: From Defiance to Survival

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station photographing East Asia were surprised when they saw a ‘black hole’ between China and South Korea.

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Energy Could Keep U.S.-Russia Ties On Ice

Energy Could Keep U.S.-Russia Ties On Ice

By 2020, the U.S. could become the world’s third-largest LNG producer, cutting into Russia’s natural gas exports revenues and further weakening its economy.

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The Energy Sector: A Prime Target for Cyber Attacks

The Energy Sector: A Prime Target for Cyber Attacks

U.S. lawmakers are concerned about the lack of preparation for a possible long term power outage caused by a cyber-attack against the energy sector.

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The Five Oil Exporters Most Affected by Currency Devaluation

The Five Oil Exporters Most Affected by Currency Devaluation

Devaluation is the word of the day in oil exporting countries. Whether it is the Nigerian naira, the Venezuelan bolívar, or the Russian rouble, low oil prices are wreaking havoc in oil exporting economies and on their national currencies.

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A Public Private Partnership for Iran’s New Petroleum Contract?

A Public Private Partnership for Iran’s New Petroleum Contract?

Can public private partnership provide a solution for the financing of energy infrastructure projects, at a time when Iran is facing declining revenues as a result of years of crippling sanctions?

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From oil to nuclear energy: a Lausanne Accord between Iran and the P5+1

From oil to nuclear energy: a Lausanne Accord between Iran and the P5+1

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif will meet again on March 15 in Lausanne for the final stretch of international negotiations on the Iranian nuclear program.

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Africa’s Largest Wind Farm

Africa’s Largest Wind Farm

After eight years of planning, funds have become available for the planned 310 megawatt (MW) Lake Turkana wind farm project estimated to cost $775 million – the largest private investment in Kenya’s history.

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The Continuing Losing Hand

The Continuing Losing Hand

The tragic outbreak of Ebola in Liberia that has killed at least 1,800 people has only added another debilitating layer on top of a slew of other concerns the government and its citizens are trying to overcome, especially years of civil war that ravaged the nation.

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