Worshipping at the net-zero altar has led to two dictators controlling both energy security and the supply of manufactured goods
Mark Twain famously said that “Truth is stranger than fiction.” Seldom have those words been more clearly illustrated than by the West’s attempt to rid the world of fossil fuels. In a supreme irony, the location of the first gathering aimed at that goal took place in the country now suffering the worst consequences of…
Limiting gas imports from Russia has thrust the country into its biggest energy crisis since the Second World War
Germany is stuck between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand is its decision to limit crude and gas imports from Russia. On the other, its industrial might is under threat. Berlin’s political decision to limit gas imports from Russia has thrust the country into its biggest energy crisis since the Second…
The West won’t dig itself out of the crisis unless it decisively responds to Putin’s strategic aim
The cost of living crisis is being misrepresented and mishandled by the political class. Misrepresented because only occasionally do politicians link the crisis to the Russia-Ukraine War and Putin’s use of hybrid warfare to destabilize the West; mishandled because, fundamentally, the solution lies not in economic measures but in ensuring first that Russia is defeated…
G7 agrees on devising a system that would only allow the sale of Russian oil at below-market prices
Well, they did it. During their virtual meeting last Friday, finance ministers from the G7 agreed on devising a system that would only allow the sale of Russian oil at below-market prices. “The price cap is specifically designed to reduce Russian revenues and Russia’s ability to fund its war of aggression whilst limiting the impact…
The situation got away from him. He was overwhelmed
Mikhail Gorbachev died in Moscow last week at the age of 91. Once the world’s most celebrated politician, he had quite the rollercoaster ride. First, what was dubbed Gorbymania swept the western world and the 1990 Nobel Peace Prize credited him with ending the Cold War. Then he was rudely relegated to political obscurity. What…
The terrorist group isn't a spent force yet
Extremism thrives in chaos. Since the Arab Spring plunged Syria into civil war, the country has been consumed by factionalism. For example, the northwest of the country is controlled by the Syrian National Army (which includes an Al-Qaeda faction), and the northeast is controlled by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Syria’s political landscape is…
They could be the catalyst to finally getting something done in Canada
One of the best ideas that has gone nowhere is the creation of resource corridors for long-distance transportation infrastructure using routes where land-use and development issues are resolved in advance. Historically, the path of transportation infrastructures like railroads, highways, power lines and pipelines has been “map and ruler,” a straight line at the lowest cost.…
Saudi Arabia isn’t ready to ditch Russia
After a brief lull and a price drop, crude oil markets are heating up again, surging by more than US$2 a barrel last week. The Aug. 3 expanded OPEC+ ministerial meeting, which includes Russia, is just around the corner. And signals from producing countries aren’t helping to stabilize the markets. In addition, the threat of…
An intense tug of war is being waged on the global crude horizon
Stakeholders continue to make interesting moves across the global energy chess board. Six days after U.S. President Joe Biden flew out of Saudi Arabia – without any public commitment from Riyadh to increase crude output significantly – Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman spoke by phone, underlining the importance of…
Russia’s war in Ukraine has recast the entire Arctic security architecture
Russia’s 2014 war of aggression against Ukraine – renewed in 2022 – is having worldwide ramifications, and the Arctic region is now experiencing fundamental changes to its overall security structures and infrastructure. Arctic institutions and organizations are being transformed because of Russia’s actions. These changes will continue to reverberate across the entire international system for…