The Death Of OPEC
The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries is dead. Saudi Arabia killed it. Now, OPEC is just a toothless zombie, attracting attention, but without having any impact on the living. Read Here – Project Syndicate
Tag: oil
Has Summer Brought A New Optimism About The Russian Economy?
Markets have soared: the ruble is the best-performing emerging market currency this year, up over 20 percent since late January against the dollar, and equities have posted double-digit gains. Russian markets have benefited from a range of macroeconomic and technical factors—a moderate pickup in oil prices, a search for yield by investors punished by low […]
$5 Trillion Meltdown: What If China Shuts Down The South China Sea?
After threatening to set up an air defense identification zone, what might the economic impact be if Beijing went one step further and closed off the entire area inside its so-called “nine-dash line”? Read Here – The National Interest
Why China Cares About The South China Sea
China’s true interest in the South China Sea has much more to do with history and politics than with oil and security. The South China Sea dispute is not about China’s interpretation of international law. It’s about China’s interpretation of itself. Read Here – Aljazeera
Decoding The Jargon Of The South China Sea Dispute
An international Court issues its ruling Tuesday on a challenge brought by the Philippines to China’s claim to more than 80 percent of the South China Sea. The report by the tribunal in The Hague—which will decide on at least seven of 15 Philippine submissions—is likely to be filled with jargon related to maritime disputes. Read […]
The Invasion Of Iraq Was Never Really About Oil
Misconceptions and outright misrepresentations of the role of oil in the Iraqi debacle remain, spawning conspiracy theories about conflicts from Libya, Syria and Gaza to Afghanistan. The corrupt and sclerotic energy sector continues to hold back the economy and blight the lives of ordinary Iraqis. Searching the Chilcot report to justify decade-old slogans of “no […]
Iran’s Struggles On Four Fronts—And Soon, Maybe A Fifth
Nearly twelve months after Iran’s diplomatic victory with the JCPOA, Tehran is still embroiled in four different major regional conflicts, and a fifth may soon break out. Read Here – The National Interest
U.S., Britain Had Plans To Disable, Destroy Middle East Oil Facilities In Event Of A Soviet Invasion
British and U.S. plans envisioned using nuclear weapons as an option in Iran and Iraq, according to declassified documents, and the secret oil denial policy lasted at least until the Kennedy Administration. Read Here – U.S. National Security Archives
Saudi Prince Making His Pitch From Silicon Valley to Manhattan
The prince, who’s the son of King Salman, is leading Saudi Arabia’s biggest-ever economic shakeup, moving to cut subsidies and diversify the economy away from oil by generating an extra $100 billion in non-oil revenue by 2020. Read Here – Bloomberg
A-Listers Flock To Putin’s Private Davos
Two years ago, President Vladimir Putin decided to wait out Western attempts to isolate Russia economically and politically. This year’s St. Petersburg Economic Forum — an annual event informally known as Russia’s Davos — showed that his patience is gradually paying off, but business as usual still isn’t within reach. Read Here – Bloomberg
looking beyond borders 