From Russian Competition to Natural Resources Access: Recasting U.S. Arctic Policy

06-15-2010

In recent years, Russia has aggressively expanded its presence in the Arctic, while the United States has largely neglected this strategic area. Given the rising demand for oil and gas and the likelihood that Arctic sea-lanes will become more navigable, the U.S. should move resolutely to establish U.S. sovereign rights in the Arctic. Establishing a robust U.S. presence will require, among other steps, significantly increasing the number of U.S. polar-capable icebreakers. The U.S. should continue coordinating efforts with Canada and its other NATO allies, working with Russia when feasible and prudent. However, the U.S. should oppose Russia’s territorial claims in the Arctic without becoming party to the Law of the Sea Treaty.

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Bye Bye, Eurasian Pipelines?

05-13-2009

The 1990s were a boom decade for Western energy companies tapping into Caspian oil and gas. Three important oil pipelines were built — the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), Baku-Supsa to the Black Sea, and the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) to the Mediterranean — as well as the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum (BTE) pipeline transporting gas to Turkey.

How times have changed! A host of factors today are turning proposed Westbound gas pipelines into a Eurasian pipe dream. The United States is focused elsewhere — on Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Arab-Israeli diplomatic quagmire — and the Obama administration is advocating a massive shift to alternative energy. European energy policy is adrift.

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Eurasian pipelines- a forecaster’s nightmare

04-29-2009

The world’s leading experts who gathered at Columbia University’s Harriman Institute for the conference, "The Architecture of Energy Export System of the Caucasus and Central Asia," believe that future uncertainties jeopardize western control of much of Eurasian energy.

The 1990s were a boom decade for Caspian oil. Western companies moved into the region in force. There were three important pipeline projects: Western and national oil companies built the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC); the Baku-Supsa (both to the Black Sea); and the crown jewel, the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC), to the Mediterranean.

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European Security and Russia’s Natural Gas Disruption

01-08-2009

On January 1, 2009, Russia’s state monopoly OAO Gazprom began reducing gas supplies to Ukraine. Moscow and Kiev had failed to negotiate the price for natural gas, and the initial reduction affected six additional countries: Czech Republic, Turkey, Poland, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria. As problematic as this was, the crisis has extended beyond these initial victims. Not surprisingly, Russia is losing its reputation as a reliable supplier of gas to Europe. Motives for the Russian action include sending a signal to Europe that Ukraine should not be integrated into the Euro-Atlantic zone, but remain within the Russian sphere of influence.

The crisis demonstrates Europe’s strategic dependence on Russian gas and highlights the necessity to change this situation quickly in order to prevent Europe from being taken hostage by Russia.

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Trend Capital: Azerbaijan Facing Pressure From the Gas Cartel

05-11-2008

Caspian gas producers will come under the increasing pressure from the troika of the founders of the natural gas cartel which has emerged stealthily and steadily over the last seven years. The governments in Baku, Ashgabat, Astana and Tashkent– the four smaller Eurasian gas exporters -- need to coordinate their policy to keep their sovereignty in the face of the growing clout by Moscow and Teheran. Western Europe and the United States need to support the Caspian gas countries’ quest for independence and self-determination in the energy sphere.

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Global Energy Transformation

01-01-2008

The world is on the verge of a new world order. China and India’s development will soak up most of the world’s scarce oil, while oil-producing countries are consuming more and more of the black gold, International Energy Agency’s new report says.

 

 

 

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Europe’s Strategic Dependence on Russian Energy

11-05-2007

Russia is consolidating its grip on oil and gas—the economic lifeblood of Europe. Moscow is pursuing a comprehensive strategy that could increase Europe"s political and economic dependence on Russian energy. Such dependence could negatively affect trans­atlantic relations, common values, goals, strategic objectives, and security policies. Without a policy dialogue and coordination between Washington and European capitals, Europe"s strategic drift away from the United States will continue unabated.

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The Bush-Putin Hanoi Summit: Iran, Georgia, Energy, and WTO Protocol on the Agenda

11-17-2006

 

On November 19, President George Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin will discuss dominant global security issues—the Middle East, including Iran and Iraq, North Korea, and Georgia—at a summit in Hanoi, Vietnam. ?his meeting will take place alongside the meeting of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Organization (APEC). Both presidents, along with U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab and the Russian Economics Minister German Gref, are also expected to preside over the signing ceremony of a bilateral protocol on Russia’s accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO).

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U.S. Interests and Central Asia Energy Security

11-15-2006

In the past five years, real and present dangers to U.S. national security, especially Islamist terrorism and threats to the energy supply, have affected U.S. policy in Central Asia. The region has great energy potential and is strategically important, but it is land-locked, which complicates U.S. access and involvement there.

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The North European Gas Pipeline Threatens Europe’s Energy Security

10-26-2006

Russia is building a strategic new pipeline to Europe that will affect European energy security for years to come. Called the North European Gas Pipe­line (NEGP), it will cross the Baltic Sea, directly con­necting Russia to Germany, and will bypass the Soviet-era, land-based energy transit infrastructure that traverses several former Soviet Bloc countries, including Ukraine, Belarus, and Poland.

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