Tag: Oil
Top Foreign Policy Issues Facing Next U.S. President on Day 1
The 2024 U.S. presidential election is in full swing with candidates talking economic policy but partially skirting round foreign policy challenges. The foreign policy debate has been limited with most commentary focused on whether the policy will be more “arrogant” or “predictable”, neither of which are informative descriptions for a candidate or directionally insightful as a strategy. The next U.S. president will face several key issues on day 1 and, while temperament can be part of the test, there is a question of policy answers and details…
A Few Takeaways from the China brokered Saudi-Iran Deal
A China brokered Saudi-Iran deal will force the U.S. to further rethink its strategy with Saudi Arabia and the greater Middle East…
As Energy Transition Goes, 2023 Is The Year of Corporate Utilities
Public discussion has largely focused on the push for expanded use of renewable energy and the related investment required to bring those energy sources online. Yet the success of the Biden energy policy depends on the ability of utility companies to fund a significant amount of capex, in particular for transmission and distribution, in the near term…
Three Inputs Often Overlooked In The Energy Transition Process
Recent legislation in the U.S. and Europe (and a war in Ukraine) is accelerating energy transition. Yet, the overhaul of policy requires significant change in other aspects of the economic system and individual livelihoods – in particular, the limited resources of metals and rare earth elements, water and land become significantly more important.
The World Need More Oil…Will the U.S. Provide It?
What is one thing that Iran, the UAE and Elon Musk can agree on? The world needs more oil…Will the U.S. Provide It?
Why Is Saudi Arabia Reducing Its Oil Production?
Why did the Saudi authorities reduce production, despite receiving US advice to the contrary?
Turning U.S. Attention from Middle East to China and Asia
The current dynamics in the Middle East are creating an opportune time for U.S. leadership to strategically shift priorities on the global stage, especially as the U.S. is not entangled in any war…
The U.S. and Saudi Arabia: A Rendezvous in the Desert…
U.S. President Joe Biden and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman must come together for a long awaited rendezvous in the desert…ideally the two leaders can employ some modern rules of dating in making the alliance work…
North Africa As A ‘Perfect’ Microcosm Of The Global Effects of Russia Ukraine War
The Russia-Ukraine conflict is worsening a food crisis in the North African region, as Ukraine and Russia are leading exporters of agricultural products to North Africa, while also forcing countries to do a geopolitical dance to avoid picking a side, especially when the countries have military and diplomatic ties to either Russia or the US or sometimes both countries. The conflict also presents opportunities for exporters who can fill gaps in the global supply chain, in particular energy…but then again, those gaps are the result of both economic and political challenges with the political challenges never being so simple to solve.
Higher Oil Prices Come At The Right Time for the Middle East…
Oil recently touched above $70 and continues to hover above $60 today. The uptick is a welcome breath of fresh air into the Middle East (financial) ecosystem. The new cash inflow is and will continue to allow the regional states to underwrite new financing in their banking sectors and evade the 2009-esque fallout as banks today effectively bridge finance regional corporates to 2022 (…or potentially 2023)…
