The Saudi royal family has long been noted for its practical resilience and the recent replacement of the long-standing governor of the East Province, Prince Muhammad Bin Fahd, is a case in point. The change in governors came in the aftermath of a renewed wave of protests set in motion by the shooting of an [...]  More »

It has long been speculated that oil can be a driver for civil conflict, and one needs to look no further for evidence than the sectarian power politics that is threatening the possible devolution of the Iraqi state.  More »

The 2013 New Year’s holiday did not start out smoothly for the oil industry with news that Royal Dutch Shell’s ice-reinforced hull Kulluk oil-drilling ship, which is carrying 150,000 gallons of diesel and about 12,000 gallons of lube oil and hydraulic fluid, had run aground as it was being towed to avoid an Arctic storm [...]  More »

The fiscal cliff notwithstanding, the shale boom is making people bullish about America. Roger Cohen put it very elegantly, “…the self image and economic prospects of an energy independent United States are going to see a sharp uptick.” And cheap energy isn’t the only thing we may have going for us. We also have a [...]  More »

Last week, U.S. Gulf of Mexico natural gas exports took a step closer to reality with the release of NERA Economic Consulting’s study for the U.S. Department of Energy concluding that the economic benefits (including wealth transfer affects) from liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports from the U.S. Gulf coast will outweigh the losses from “reduced [...]  More »

For much of 2012, turmoil in the Middle East has provided a major support to international oil prices. But the inclination to diplomacy that gripped the center stage of several conflicts in the last week or two may be signs that oil market supply and demand fundamentals might reassert themselves, potentially bringing lower prices in [...]  More »

Saudi Arabia’s commitment to keep oil markets amply supplied has been keeping a lid on prices this autumn, together with concerns about the health of the U.S. and global economy. What might have been considered a minor cabinet shuffle in the kingdom this week was largely ignored by oil traders, but perhaps mistakenly. Earlier this [...]  More »

The reelection of President Barack Obama is good news for the U.S. pursuit of energy independence. That’s because the President is unlikely to take any major steps to ban shale drilling operations in the United States but is more likely than contender Mitt Romney to stay the course on accelerated time lines for higher efficiency [...]  More »

Oil and gas companies that speak out against environmental regulations and sustainability values might want to think twice about whether such actions are actually promoting shareholder value, especially if they are based in “blue states.” Companies that make frequent corporate responsibility disclosures and high corporate political campaign contributions provide higher shareholder returns, a new study [...]  More »

As the Presidential candidates exchange barbs over whose policy will be a stronger bulwark against a rising China, the American oil industry may in the end accidentally provide the best solution. Growing North America shale resources look poised to strengthen the US economic and diplomatic position vis a vis China just as it has already [...]  More »

Surprisingly, gasoline prices were front and center in last night’s Presidential debate –surprisingly, because gasoline prices would seem to be one of those issues that are largely out of a President’s hand. The single largest variable that influences gasoline prices is the price of crude oil and it is hard for the United States to [...]  More »

China’s Foreign Ministry released yet another statement yesterday reiterating its opposition to sanctions against Iran, arguing that sanctions will further worsen and escalate the problem. China says it prefers “negotiations” to resolve the issue but has not, to date, played a leading diplomatic role. A new paper from the Baker Institute Energy Forum argues that [...]  More »