Ursula von der Leyen, a…
Yemen's Houthi rebels attacked on…
Politics, Geopolitics & ConflictAs we predicted, trouble has flooded across Saudi Arabia’s eastern border with Yemen. On 22 May, a suicide bomber blew himself up at a Shi’ite…
Politics, Geopolitics & Conflict South Sudan South Sudanese rebels claim to have captured a key refinery for the country’s largest oilfield (Paloch)…
Geopolitics & OilLet the games begin in Cuba …As the US and Cuba work to restore diplomatic relations, keeping in mind that we are doubtful the…
Africa/Middle East Oil & Gas UpdateKurdistanThe Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in northern Iraq is upping the ante with Baghdad over the long-running oil question. Now Erbil…
GeopoliticsRussian Oil and Gas: The Squeeze Is On—Sort ofEuropean Union regulators have formally charged Gazprom with abusing its dominant market position in…
The Geopolitics of Oil The Iran-Pakistan Pipeline The Iran-Pakistan pipeline, which has been languishing on the Pakistani side, looks set to get a boost from China,…
Geopolitical Update There is no need at this point for investors to fear a rapprochement with Iran in terms of what it might do to oil prices by adding…
Kurdistan Oil Update • Gazprom Neft Middle East is preparing to conduct a 2D seismic survey on the southeastern section of the Halabja block. The seismic…
In 2009 political scientists Ian Bremmer and Preston Keat defined geopolitics as “the study of how geography, politics, strategy, and history combine to generate the rise…
Frontier Updates • Amid the oil price slump, if you’re considering Africa, forget Nigeria and look to Kenya. The east African emerging oil giant has just received a boost from…
Politics, Geopolitics & Conflict • Iraqi forces (backed by Shi’ite militias) have retaken most of the towns and the area surrounding Tikrit, in central Iraq, but…
Politics, Geopolitics & ConflictYemen’s oil-rich Marib province is the likely next target for takeover by Houthi militants…
Politics, Geopolitics & Conflict Anxious Times For Kurdistan Producers It’s not an easy time to be a producer in Iraqi Kurdistan, where there is much promise,…
Politics, Geopolitics & Conflict Al-Shabaab Reaches for Stature The Somali militant group Al-Shabaab—pushed back in Somalia largely by African Union (AU) forces and forced to regroup—has…
International Oil & Gas Spotlight • After making massive finds offshore Israel, in the Levant Basin, Texas-based Noble Energy and its Israeli partner, Delek Group, are…
Deals, Mergers, Acquisitions, Withdrawals • China’s Yantai Xinchao Industry Co Ltd is reportedly in talks to acquire Zhejiang investment firm, which has plans to acquire oil…
Long-range planning — or at least a superficial view of it — is back in vogue, but modern societies are paying the price for their inattention…
Politics, Geopolitics & Conflict Somalia in 2015 Major joint offensives launched through the past year by the Somali National Army (SNA) athe African Union Mission in…
Politics, Geopolitics & Conflict Focus: Saudi Arabia What has happened in Saudi Arabia with the passing of King Abdullah should be viewed as no less than…
Politics, Geopolitics & ConflictYemen Shi’ite Houthi rebels in Yemen have taken over the presidential palace in the capital Sana’a after negotiations over a power-sharing deal with the government…