Energy Strategy & Foreign Policy

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has given Oman’s natural gas industry, long handicapped by relatively modest reserves and high extraction costs, a new lease on life. The global energy crisis caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine one year ago has underlined the centrality of LNG to Europe’s energy security. Since …

As Saudi Arabia has grappled with its Vision 2030 reform plan and its transition away from fossil fuels, one international partner of choice in the energy sector has emerged: the United States In recent years, many countries in the Middle East region have concluded that their continued economic dependence on …

By Michael Scollon As winter approached, Iran was relishing the prospect of falling temperatures that could put Europe in a deep freeze and allow Tehran to bask in the wealth of its formidable natural-gas reserves. A difficult winter for Europeans would offer many advantages, including leverage in protracted negotiations in Vienna …

After a year of unprecedented turmoil, global energy prices could return to a ‘new normal’ in 2023—or they could be further disrupted by ongoing or new political and economic crises. The full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 led to major reverberations in energy markets around the world. In an attempt …

With its massive oil and natural gas reserves, Turkmenistan’s economy is heavily dependent on foreign exchange earnings from the export and sale of these resources. Given this, the country’s economic stability is tied to Ashgabat’s foreign policy and cooperation with its neighbors, including those territories located in the path of …

Driven by its desire for economic gain and the threat posed by Iran, Saudi Arabia has relied heavily on China to develop its domestic drone program—much to Washington’s chagrin. In recent years, many Middle Eastern states have devoted growing sums to research in cutting-edge defense technology—particularly drone warfare, a crucial …

While representing a major symbolic step, finalizing Iranian membership in the Shanghai Pact is not a panacea for the country’s current political, economic, and security challenges. Before the outbreak of recent mass protests, Iranian leaders were working to ameliorate their country’s international isolation through official membership in the Shanghai Cooperation …

The Iranian government has vowed to increase its gas output and international exports, but cannot produce enough to keep the lights on at home. The Iranian government is currently embroiled in the most serious threat to its rule since the end of the Iran-Iraq War in 1988. The protests surrounding …

In 1979, oil workers in Iran dealt a blow to the Pahlavi dynasty; now, instability in Iran’s energy sector could once again put tremendous pressure on the regime or lead to the fall of the Islamic Republic itself. Considering the central role of energy exports to Iran’s economy, the security …

There is a concern in Iran that Azerbaijan intends for the project to block Iran’s border with Armenia as the proposed route of the Zanzegur Corridor project runs along the full length of the border. The Second Nagorno-Karabakh War, fought from September to November 2020, ended with a significant victory for …