... credibility. Moreover, as 70% of the NSR traffic carries hydrocarbons with vessels of 50K DWT and above (i.e. Panamax Size), it makes this route reliant on shipping large hulls of natural resources in fewer vessels; hence the route rests greatly on the energy markets of both the Arctic and wider world, which are naturally volatile. In addition, historic successes of USSR leave a bitter after taste. As Vladimir Mikhailichenko of a Non-Profit Partnership points out, the recent jump is a mere hop in contrast ...
... impeding Armageddon almost by nature. Hence, this post will dwell into an Arctic from a pragmatic stance of promising potential and a need for stakeholders to cooperate, as certain waters cannot be crossed alone. As customary Casing Point will take an energy based angle and to assist analysis will draw from the recent conference hosted by RIAC. Enjoy & Feel Free to Comment!
Personal Note:
As my list of ''conferences attended'' grows, I am starting to feel like ...
... Russian consulate general in Hong Kong Friday to protest the detention of its activists by Russia's authorities. Photo: AP RD: What is more reasonable today - to focus on environmental challenges and to work on environmental projects or to invest into energy projects in the Arctic? A.Z.: Everything here is important because everything is very much interlinked. The Arctic ecosystems have been very much under shock over the past decades because of the climate change which affects both ecosystems and ...
... ears of China’s elite. As why would China eternally follow the 'rules', which are made by and for the hegemon, particularly if China becomes the world’s biggest economy?
As Yergin (2011) stresses oil has been a primary energy concern for China ever since Mao, as it was perceived as a main component of a modern economy, in turn, fuelling military and political muscle. Yet, in the 20th century China has experienced repeated cuts like: during the Sino-USSR split, USA’s ...
... recent GDP statistics we see USA has recovered quicker than any other major economy. A lot will depend on how the new legislation holds in the US, like the Dodd-Frank Act. If we look at the statistics for manipulators, its frankly shocking. Cambridge Energy Research Associates (CERA) highlight that from 2008 there were no changes within expenses of exploration or production of BRENT crude. Based on 1st quarter of 2012, all the costs associated to produce a barrel of BRENT account for $53 per barrel ...
... two key disciplines in social sciences: “just as contemporary political scientists characteristically undermine the importance of markets, so contemporary economists usually set to one side political phenomena”. As my thesis was based on energy, I also found the book by Kuzemko et al (2011: VIII, 3) very useful, it defined the issue I have faced well by saying that most have “consistently conceptualize energy either as commodity to be traded or a resource to be projected politically ...
Interview with Arnaud Dubien
Interview
France and Russia boast a truly long history of economic relations. Paris is one of Moscow’s ten largest trade partners, with turnover steadily growing even during the height of the global economic crisis. However, some experts insist that trade and economic relations between the two countries are on the decline. The prospects of bilateral economic ties became the topic of discussion with
Arnaud Dubien
, head of the French-Russian think tank Observo...
... terrorism. These are important areas, of course, but geopolitical events elsewhere suggest that matters of greater long-term international importance are afoot; in particular because of, first, extended global economic stagnation; second, increasing energy insecurity; and, third, early climate change impacts. It would be unwise to forecast trajectories in any of these three areas, but, nevertheless, parallel events could develop that had concerning consequences for international security in general,...
... was a complicated and mendacious scheme, a throwback to the old school statism of populist leader General Juan Peron. Old school Peronists called such actions the work of a vendepatria, one who sells out the national patrimony. It involved the Spanish energy firm Repsol, and the ultimate betrayal of one of Argentina’s most influential business families who were the largest financial supporters of President Cristina Kirchner and her late husband President Nestor Kirchner who held the office from ...
... wintertime in order to send it to the irrigation canals of Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan in summer. As a result,
Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan could not use the water for power generation in winter
, and the downstream countries supplied them with energy in exchange. The scheme is still operating, but growing hydrocarbon prices limit the upstream states' desire to purchase power, rather than using the water for their own energy production.
For Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, where winters are cold, ...
