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Rahim Yusif Rahimov: The vast energy resources of Central Asia have led to a growing competition between Russia, who views the region as within its rightful sphere of influence, and Western nations. To ensure the security of its energy resources, the EU should use its Eastern Partnership to downplay both the NATO and Russian military presence in the region.
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Estephanie Henaro: China’s economic outgrowth is about more than commercial relationships. It has used its influence on the Australian economy, traditionally a cornerstone of US-led regional stability, to consolidate its access to key energy supplies and assert its own hegemonic structure in the Pacific.
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Christian von Campe: Energy security is a key issue for nearly every industrialized state, and the United Kingdom is no exception. This paper examines energy policy in the UK from a threat perspective, and proposes solutions for ensuring the heavy dependence on a sufficient and secure energy supply is not an Achilles heel.
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Ben Wells: US policy towards bio-fuel production has always heavily leaned on the use of ethanol. However, with the advent of newer alternatives and the problems of corn production, perhaps it is time to re-assess its effectiveness in the face of growing environmental problems.
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Gábor Iklódy: NATO’s new Emerging Security Challenges Division (ESCD) sends a strong political message and systematically brings together work on the areas that will increasingly affect the security of the Allies on both sides of the Atlantic: terrorism, cyber attacks, threats to energy supply, and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
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Shubha Jaishankar: While deniers cite that climate change is only a rich man’s problem, however, the issue transcends class. Both the rich and the poor, and the believers and the skeptics, will benefit from the job creation and economic boosts of promoting green technology.
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Felix F. Seidler: After its recent summit, NATO needs a plan for the implementation of its new strategic concept. The alliance cannot afford the achievements of the summit to fizzle out. Tax payers should demand that the pretensions of “active engagement” and “modern defence” be underlined by concrete actions.
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Matthias Conrad: Russia’s top security priority is the need to adapt to socio‐economic challenges that will be aggravated by the effects of climate change. The West with Germany playing a leading role should engage in bilateral cooperation with Moscow and intensify energy interdependence.
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Daniel Fiott: China’s quest for natural resources will lead to the strengthening of its navy and possible confrontation with the US. Energy independence can decrease the chances of possible tensions in the world’s oceans and seas.
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Sonja Davidovic: Turkey can play a key role in overcoming existing hurdles to the realization of the Nabucco pipeline project, which will augment Europe’s energy security. In return the EU should assist Turkey on its path to EU membership.
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Jakob Schirmer: If the EaP is tasked with creating a pan European consensus on energy then why does it not include Russia? Exclusion only serves to create divisions between the biggest supplier and the consumer whilst further exacerbating relations between the post Soviet states and Moscow.
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Andrey Chubyk: Achieving energy security in the EU remains one of the most challenging tasks for EU politicians. The recent pipeline crisis in the Ukraine led to the temporary slow down of supply and underlines the urgency of the issue. To prevent further crises, the “European Initiative of Gas Transparency” (EIGT) must be adopted in the Eurasia region.
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Editorial Team: Cohesive European policy towards Russia will only happen if frank debate about the nation’s desired role is expanded and deepened, according to experts from 11 European nations surveyed by Atlantic-Community.org.
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Jens F. Laurson & George A. Pieler: In light of the recent gas crisis, the need for a common European energy policy has risen to the top of the EU agenda. The prompt building of the Nabucco pipeline as well as diversification of resources should be incorporated to assure independence from the Kremlin.
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Marek Swierczynski: The EU proved to be indispensable in taming the recent gas dispute between Russia and Ukraine. However, it still lacks the means to stabilize crucial energy supplies and oversee political cohesion to protect its most vulnerable members.
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Interviews with YATA Delegates: Youth Atlantic Treaty Association delegates interviewed at their General Assembly held in Berlin in November 2008. The topics range from Russian relations to what Obama will ask Europe to do.
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Interview with Jackson Janes: The executive director of the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies tells Atlantic-community.org that Russia, energy security, climate change, Iran, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the financial crisis are all pressing issues to be addressed jointly by Germany and the United States under an Obama administration.
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Alexandros Petersen & Ryan R. Miller: Poland and Lithuania can play an important role in advancing U.S. priorities in the “New East Europe.”
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Grigol Ubiria: NATO’s eastern enlargement is too often solely considered from the perspective of Russia’s right to defend its interests on its borders. Little or no attention has been paid to factors forcing former Soviet republics, particularly Georgia and Ukraine, to rush to join the alliance.
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Michaele Schreyer and Ralf Fuecks: Current energy crisis poses a significant threat to international economic and political stability. The current make-up of the EU is ill-equipped to deal with this challenge. The Union urgently needs an institutional reform: a European Community for Renewable Energy which would transform its economy into an energy-efficient system.
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David Francis: Germany is not only comfortable with Russia as an energy partner, it is comfortable with Russia as a strategic partner. This is at odds with the Bush administration, which views Russia with suspicion. Germany’s position has exposed an ideologically divide in Europe.
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Ryan R. Miller: The belief Russia will help the West ease tensions with Iran is wishful thinking. A compliant Iran would be Gazprom’s biggest competitor. Washington should offer the Mullahs EU energy markets in exchange for concessions on the nuclear issue and thus reduce European dependence on Russian energy.
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Mark Brzezinski : President George W. Bush travels to Europe this month to participate in the US-European Union Summit and to visit key partners, including France, Germany, Italy and Britain. These summits are likely to produce joint declarations of “bon amie” and official statements that the drift in the trans-Atlantic relationship is diminished.
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Michael T. Klare: When the Cold War ended, it was generally assumed that the US would henceforth enjoy unchallenged preponderance. But today, military superiority no longer constitutes the decisive determinant of global paramountcy: energy has acquired unexpectedly vast significance.
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J. F. Laurson & G. A. Pieler: Biofuels may be one of the dumber of the grand, well intentioned ideas of this decade. Yet they are here to stay, not just because of the farm communities in Brazil, Europe, and the US, but because of the Zeitgeist that says source-diversification is the Holy Grail of energy policy.
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Richard G. Lugar: We must forge a more productive relationship with Russia. The absence of a collective energy security strategy and the lack of supply diversification will lead to greater fragmentation among European nations and across the Atlantic.
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Marek Swierczynski: Greece and Russia signed an agreement to build the southern branch of the South Stream natural gas pipeline. President Putin’s last victory hardens Gazprom’s grip on Europe and makes any energy diversification projects more difficult. Unless the EU looks at the map and acts.
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Hans-Ulrich Klose: Mistakes have been made on both the Russian and the Western sides. Russia should now be approached as an equal rather than looked down upon or scolded for non-democratic ways.
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Andreas Goldthau: The extent to which Russia’s resources are sustaining the country’s growth and influencing its foreign policy tends to be overstated. Having to adapt to domestic and geopolitical circumstances, and the rules of the global market considerably restricts the Kremlin’s room for maneuver.
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Memo 5: Members of the Atlantic Community are more concerned about the short term consequences than the potential long term benefits of the current high oil price.
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Matt Dupuis: The idea of bringing the production and storage of nuclear fuel under international control is gaining support once again. The US should take the lead in creating a global fuel bank which would make it possible to test countries’ intentions while limiting their access to nuclear technology.
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Maximilian Müngersdorff: Resource-based growth poses a risk to the broader economy. With oil prices hitting record highs, Russia, the world’s largest fossil-fuel exporter, has seen rapid growth. The question is, whether this growth is used to transform Russia into a diversified and sustainable economy.
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Ryan R. Miller: Possible Polish-Iranian energy cooperation puts U.S. policy makers between a rock and a hard place, as America finds itself committed both to isolating the Islamic Republic and supporting Polish efforts to outflank Russia’s Gazprom.
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Josh Busby: I offer solutions on how countries can get from concern about the security consequences of climate change to action on its effects. Expanded support for adaptation and disaster response is needed, with continuing focus on emissions reductions.
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Klaus-Dieter Frankenberger: of the Atlantic Initiative Advisory Board interviews President George W. Bush just prior to the G8 Summit. The President speaks on US-Russia relations, domestic energy policy, and the criticism he has received from around the world.
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Heiko Borchert and Karina Forster : We see hard power as integral to the preservation of energy infrastructure. EU-NATO cooperation is therefore key to preserving this vital element of energy security.
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Global Must Read Articles
The impact of Western sanctions on Iran goes further than “market plays, fire sales and opportunism” for India and China. ++ The long term role Iran plays in their energy security policies has been missed. ++ Iran has sought to lock both countries into 25-year contracts for its oil. ++ Ideological positions may factor domestically in India and China but they are an outgrowth of energy interests.
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The practice of “fracking” in domestic production has reversed the trend of US dependence on foreign oil; for the first time in decades, petroleum imports are dropping. ++ While there are environmental concerns, shale oil has the potential to lower energy dependence further and generate thousands of desperately needed jobs. ++ Despite impressions, US imports also come from
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Although some have suggested Russia join NATO, Moscow’s old diplomatic goal of thwarting the Western Alliance remains. ++ The EU needs to become clear about how serious it is regarding its “modernization partnership” with Russia as issues are at stake from energy security to visa access. ++ Moscow is being dealt with too much political correctness as in real terms it is simply
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Ukraine’s new President Yanukovych may be a “twice-convicted felon” and sponsored by Moscow this is still good news for Ukraine. ++ After the disastrous mandate of the Orange revolution’s leader Yushcheko, an improvement in Ukraine-Russia relations is more than welcome. ++ The former president increased national tension between Western EU-oriented and Eastern pro-RussianUkraine. ++ After IMF
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A US-China trade war would be dangerous prospect, as it encourages resource nationalism and hoarding of important minerals by Beijing. ++ Through monopolizing the supply of resources vital to the construction of batteries, LED’s, and lightbulbs China is gaining leverage over the West. ++ Washington must take care not to antagonize the dragon, thereby giving impetus to the nationalist hawks within
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Supporting green policies as a result of climate change hysteria is misguided not only because of the uncertainty of the dangers that global warming might pose, but also because they will be damaging. ++ The economic downturn means it will be hard to afford expensive new sources of energy and “energy rationing policies like cap-and-trade will be a permanent drag on economic activity.” ++ A wider
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To combat climate change, environmentalists should stop supporting carbon taxes and unworkable market-based cap and trade systems in favor of emphasizing investment in alternative energy. ++ This should be done by implementing “feed in tariffs” which pay a premium to producers of renewable energy. ++ Cap and trade systems don’t reduce emissions, are open to being diluted and are difficult to
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The Indian Ocean is well on the way to becoming the location of global conflict in the 21st century. Today the third largest body of water on the Earth is already considered the most important cross national sea route. And its importance is on the rise. The coasts of the Indian Ocean are increasingly developing into a huge energy trading network. This also applies to the Eastern African coasts.
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All US presidents say they want to change our dependency on foreign energy, and yet US oil imports have doubled in 35 years. ++ In the future we should not be choosing between coastal oil drilling and energy conservation, but do both. ++ We need state subsidies, incentives for companies to diversify into “low-carbon” energy. ++ At the same time protected places such as the ocean shelf must be
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Given the interdependence between the economic growth of China and the world, it is necessary to integrate China into the global economy system. ++ One option is the US-China Strategic Economic Dialogue (SED), which brings US and Chinese policymakers together to expand the bilateral relations. ++ Due to the long consultation that the Chinese government needs for decision making, the dialogue is
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A poll revealed that Americans and Europeans were troubled over the growing power of Russia even before the attack on Georgia. ++ Respondents in Europe and the US were united in concern about the Kremlin providing weapons to the Middle East, Russia’s energy monopoly, and its behavior toward its neighbors. ++ What they don’t agree upon is how to respond to the Kremlin’s new assertiveness;
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Monday, Russia agreed to joint naval exercises with Venezuela and is making its first major maneuvers off US waters since the Cold War. ++ It is not widely recognized, but the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and the Panama Canal are vital gates for US energy imports, making them vulnerable choke points for enemies of the US, i.e., a Russian-Venezuelan alliance. ++ Chavez has been buying weapons from
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While some have argued that the recent summit in Brussels proved ineffective, the Georgia crisis has actually drawn the member states closer together. ++ As Europe proceeds, there are important objectives to keep in mind. ++ Europe must focus on energy security and limit its dependence on Russian supplies. ++ Accession must be a viable option for eastern countries, especially Ukraine. ++ And
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The Arctic Circle contains 13 percent of the world’s untapped oil supplies. ++ But a clash of interests between businesses, NGOs, and the five different governments who claim rights to the region’s energy resources is likely to cause a delay in drilling. ++ Existing international institutions cannot deal with the impending disputes. ++ Therefore, an “Arctic Authority” is required to make
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For democracy in Georgia to last, Georgians need to feel we have their backs; the West must impose tough economic and diplomatic sanctions on Russia. ++ This conflict demonstrates impotency of the global security order. ++ The West must show Russia it has a greater capacity to sustain a hypothetical new Cold War. ++ It is crucial that the EU breaks the Russian stranglehold on Europe’s
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We only have a few decades before world’s oil supplies start to run out and we have to use that time wisely to develop long-term solutions to the world’s energy needs. ++ To achieve that, the world needs a global energy institution to coordinate political action on the issues of energy and related, e.g. poverty or climate change. ++ Existing agencies such as International Energy Agency or
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Coercive diplomacy is America’s only remaining option as its influence declines in the Middle East. ++ Especially in the case of an Obama presidency, this “changed constellation” in the region calls for India to readjust its strategy. ++ India needs to balance Israel and Syria, and constructively engage Iran. ++ Like China, India should acknowledge the region’s importance for its own energy
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In the 80s Ronald Reagan warned Europe about becoming dependent on Russian energy. ++ With Gazprom supplying over 40 percent of Germany’s natural gas, this prediction is becoming a reality. ++ A question for the future, is whether the EU’s energy liberalization policy - unbundling the wholesale and retail businesses in gas and electricity- will either challenge or assist the
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Sparked by a recent Russian territory claim at the North Pole, a meeting has been called this week in Greenland over the future of the Arctic. ++ In the midst of a decade old rivalry, the US, Canada, Russia, Norway and Denmark have a huge stake in future development as the region may contain up to a quarter of the earth’s natural resources. ++ Although each nation is committed to a peaceful
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There are three factors underlying the current rise in oil prices: rising global demand, increased costs for oil producers, and the relatively short time span in which supply has yet to adapt to these increased pressures. ++ Timely and efficient investment needs to be encouraged in resource-holding countries to improve supply. ++ However, oil has already reached its break point and is starting to
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Iran, which is the OPEC’s second’s largest exporter, has enough natural gas to alleviate Western Europe’s uncomfortable reliance on Russia’s energy exports. ++ Disputes over pipelines, political blocking, and current US sanctions on capital inflow into Iran stand in the way of exploiting this huge potential. ++ Much depends on the coming elections, both in the US and Iran,
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Although elections for the Senate and the President were held in April, Nigeria’s (democratic) future remains uncertain, writes Dulue Mbachu of ISN Security Watch. According to the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG), the first vote was accompanied by violence. The presidential election was calmer, but observers claim more fraudulent. Conversely, the government-appointed election commission
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The rapid rise of China as an economic and industrial power has put new demands on Beijing’s energy policy, reports Erica Downs of Brookings. Once self-sufficient in oil, China is now the world’s third-highest oil importer, and energy security is a clear focus of China’s foreign and domestic policies. As Beijing tries to balance administrative and market mechanisms, there is a struggle to create
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