oil Archives - Page 10 of 36 - Foreign Policy In Focus

Dissecting Iran’s Economic Jihad

by Richard Javad Heydarian | Jul 28, 2011

In the absence of genuine democratic institutions, a set of common economic grievances is galvanizing the Arab Street against a diverse host of unaccountable regimes across the Arab world. However, deep and structural economic problems also characterize much of the Middle East, including non-Arab Iran. Recognizing the depth and gravity of the country’s economic challenges, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Khamanei has declared 2011 as the year of “economic jihad.”

Oil Transparency Would Start South Sudan Off on Right Foot

by Simone D'Abreu | Jul 3, 2011

The South Sudan government has been pressured to make its oil industry transparent. But will that ensure its oil assets will be used for the good of Sudan?

Pipeline Politics in Central Asia

by Richard Rousseau | Jun 24, 2011

From the end of the 19th century to the mid-1990s, Central Asia was almost the exclusive domain of Tsarist, Soviet, and post-Soviet Russia. A “Great Game” involving Tsarist Russia and the British Empire dominated the region’s history in the mid-19th century and what is now South Asia. The growing multi-polarity in global politics and a scramble to secure access to depleting natural resources, especially oil and gas, have led to the emergence of a “New Great Game’ that has the potential to fix the future structure of the global political and economic system. The battle over the construction of new pipelines and the routes they will take is at the heart of this “New Great Game,”which has been playing out in earnest since the mid-1990s.

Saving Uganda from Its Oil

by Jason Hickel | Jun 16, 2011

In 2006, Uganda confirmed the presence of enormous commercial petroleum reserves around Lake Albert along the country’s western border. Since then, geologists have proven at least 2 billion barrels. With only about 25 percent of the region explored, some reports indicate that there could be as much as three times that amount – enough to make Uganda a major player in the African oil industry. The oil is set to begin flowing later this year, or perhaps in early 2012, with production targeted at around 200,000 barrels per day.

The Future of South Sudan

by Terah Edun | Apr 28, 2011

On July 9, 2011 South Sudan is expected to become an independent state, Africa’s 54th. Prior to that date, much preparation must be done to establish a vigorous economy, stable government, and peaceful society. The name and capital of the country have yet to be officially declared. Issues of debt, oil, aid, and borders also remain undecided.

Libya and the Law of Unintended Consequences

by Conn Hallinan | Apr 6, 2011

Coming to terms with NATO’s intervention in the Libyan civil war is a little like wresting a grizzly bear: big, hairy, and likely to make one pretty uncomfortable no matter where you grab a hold of it. Is it a humanitarian endeavor? A grab for oil resources? Or an election ploy by French President Nicolas Sarkozy?

Libya Intervention Making a Mockery of Political Correctness

by Russ Wellen | Mar 28, 2011

Energy concerns may underlie U.S. involvement in the intervention in Libya, to the exclusion of Bahrain and Yemen.

WikiLeaks: Venezuela’s Crude Awakening

by Michael Busch | Feb 1, 2011

Without technology and know-how, even the world’s largest oil reserves are worthless.

WikiLeaks: For Norway, Oil Wealth and Humanitarianism Go Hand in Hand

by Michael Busch | Jan 27, 2011

For most states, oil wealth spells, to a certain extent, an end to ethics. Not Norway.

The Other Oil Spill

by Stephen Zunes | Sep 8, 2010

Leading congressional Democrats are outraged at British Petroleum and others responsible for the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. But that stands in sharp contrast to their outspoken support of those responsible for a major oil spill in the eastern Mediterranean in 2006, the largest in that region’s history.