OIL, OIL POLITICS
July 24, 2011
Saudi Arabia and Iran Competing for the Asian Market
In the News
By Justin Dargin, Former Associate, The Dubai Initiative
Dubai Initiative Fellow Justin Dargin is quoted in AMEinfo.com, the Middle East's business and finance news resource, about the growing competition between oil exporters Saudi Arabia and Iran in the Asian market.
AP Photo
Summer 2011
"A Crude Threat: The Limits of an Iranian Missile Campaign against Saudi Arabian Oil"
Journal Article, International Security, issue 1, volume 36
By Joshua R. Itzkowitz Shifrinson, Associate, International Security Program and Miranda L. Priebe, Research Fellow, International Security Program
The widespread concern that Iran would retaliate for an attack on its nuclear program by launching missiles at oil installations in the Persian Gulf may be largely unfounded. Although such an attack would lead to a temporary spike in oil prices because of perceived oil shortages, Iran almost certainly does not have the missile capability to make a significant impact given the redundancies in Saudi Arabia’s oil infrastructure. The threat would become serious only if Iran greatly increased the range and accuracy of its missiles, in which event the states around the Persian Gulf would be wise to increase their defenses. In addition to demonstrating that oil is not a particularly vulnerable target, this research also suggests that, although there may be other reasons for not attacking Iran’s nuclear program, concerns about oil shortage should not be one of them.
June 21, 2011
Iran, Saudi Arabia, Iraq: The race for oil dominance
In the News
By Justin Dargin, Former Associate, The Dubai Initiative
Dubai Initiative Fellow Justin Dargin speaks to Ameinfo.com, the Middle East business and finance news resource, about the apparent split among OPEC members Saudi Arabia and Iran over the output of oil following the disruptions from the recent Arab uprisings. While Saudi Arabia wants an increase in oil production, Iran's interest lies in maintaining the high oil prices.
In the Arabic article, Dargin discusses the impending game-changer in oil politics, Iraq. He further elaborates on the strength of Saudi Arabia's oil reserves in maintaining a dominant role in the oil trade.
Summer 2011
"New Geopolitics of Energy Project Weighs Fuel Options"
Newsletter Article, Belfer Center Newsletter
As the Arab Spring raises oil prices and concerns about energy security around the globe,the links between energy, international security, and global politics are more dramatic than ever. The new Geopolitics of Energy Project at the Belfer Center has set out to tackle some of the most intriguing and pressing issues at this intersection.
May, 2011
The Gulf Natural Gas Dual Pricing Regime: WTO Rules and Economic Growth in the Gulf Cooperation Council
Book
By Justin Dargin, Former Associate, The Dubai Initiative
Stakeholders in the international economy have long considered energy a crucial aspect of national sovereignty - a commodity inherently political in nature. Because of its contentious nature, energy and natural resources have been the source of conflicts for a millennia. With the sharp increase of the international price of oil and natural gas from 2002-2008, energy subsidization in the energy-rich exporting countries assumed center stage. A narrow focus on this new dynamic, however, obscures the basic issue that developed and developing countries tend to view energy in fundamentally contradictory ways. For developed, OECD countries energy is primarily a tool used to promote the smooth running of the global economy. This new book discusses the role and development of energy in emerging regions.
AP Photo
March 28, 2011
"France Seizes Moment in Libya"
Op-Ed, Boston Globe
By Juliette Kayyem, Lecturer in Public Policy
"With France as the unstated leader, the Mediterranean Union is also animated by a hope to stabilize the region, improve it economically and thus slow the flow of illegal Arab immigration, and provide an alternative to extremism and terrorism. A modern and open Libya, brought to the world by France, would be a major step toward a new European center of gravity, mainly France."
Photo by Stuart Darsch
October 29, 2010
At MIT, Holdren Issues Call for Action on Climate Disruption
News
By James F. Smith, Communications Director, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
John P. Holdren, President Obama's chief science and technology advisor, draws a grim picture of our world at the end of this century if we fail to start slashing greenhouse gas emissions that are ravaging the global climate. In a lecture at MIT, Holdren issued a call to action, arguing for a package of integrated measures to protect the environment. Holdren is on leave from Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center, where he was director of the Science and Technology Public Policy program.
AP Photo
July 22, 2010
"Sanctions to Spur Negotiations: Mostly a Bad Strategy"
Op-Ed
By Kayhan Barzegar, Former Associate, Project on Managing the Atom/International Security Program, 2010–2011; Former Research Fellow, Project on Managing the Atom/international Security Program, 2007–2010
"...[S]ince sanctions and economic constraints will directly impact ordinary Iranians, they will intensify the current sense of distrust towards the West and especially the United States in all political trends and people, subsequently resulting in national mobilization and unity, thereby strengthening the hand of the Iranian government to resist the sanctions. This is the complete opposite of the result desired by the West."
March 4, 2010
Reducing Cars' and Trucks' Carbon Emissions Difficult but Feasible, New Study Finds
Press Release
By Sasha Talcott, Former Director of Communications and Outreach
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — A new study from current and former researchers at Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs finds that reducing greenhouse gas emissions from transportation will be a much bigger challenge than conventional wisdom assumes — requiring substantially higher fuel prices combined with more stringent regulation.
AP Photo
March 2010
"Analysis of Policies to Reduce Oil Consumption and Greenhouse-Gas Emissions from the US Transportation Sector"
Journal Article, Energy Policy, issue 3, volume 38
By W. Ross Morrow, Former Research Fellow, Energy Technology Innovation Policy research group, 2008–2009, Kelly Sims Gallagher, Senior Associate, Energy Technology Innovation Policy research group, Gustavo Collantes, Former Research Fellow, Energy Technology Innovation Policy Research Group/Enviroment and Natural Resources Program, 2007-2008 and Henry Lee, Director, Environment and Natural Resources Program
Even as the US debates an economy-wide CO2 cap-and-trade policy the transportation sector remains a significant oil security and climate change concern. Transportation alone consumes the majority of the US's imported oil and produces a third of total US Greenhouse-Gas (GHG) emissions. This study examines different sector-specific policy scenarios for reducing GHG emissions and oil consumption in the US transportation sector under economy-wide CO2 prices.
