A senior economic adviser to Sen. John McCain calls free trade an essential element in reviving U.S. economic fortunes.

A top economic adviser to Sen. Barack Obama describes his views on how to harness globalization and energy diversification to improve U.S. fortunes.

South Asia expert Bruce Riedel sees the continuing development of U.S.-India ties as a major accomplishment of President Bush, who has built on steps taken by his predecessor.

Jeroen Van der Veer, the CEO of Royal Dutch Shell, on global oil demand, the end of “easy oil,” and nationalized oil companies.

Peter J. Robertson, the vice chairman of Chevron Corporation, discusses the likelihood of global oil production meeting demand in the decades to come.

Bruce Riedel, a longtime CIA specialist in South Asia, says India’s decision to put a nuclear pact with Washington in “cold storage” is only a “hiccup on the road towards a stronger U.S.-India partnership.”

Philip K. Verleger Jr., an energy policy expert, says meetings of natural gas exporting countries in Qatar are not likely to be very significant in short term, but in time “could be very significant.”

Philip K. Verleger, a well-known expert on the economics of oil, says that the current price of oil, which has dropped below $70 a barrel, has probably peaked for the moment. Yet he warns that any problems in refining oil, or another Katrina-like hurricane season, could push prices well above current levels.

"If a government can finance itself through the profits on oil, it needn't collect taxes. Let me suggest that this is not a good thing. Taxes create accountability — citizens want to know how the government is spending their money. Substituting oil revenues decouples government from the people. The list of the world's worst-governed countries today features many that are dependent on the production of oil: Nigeria, Angola, Chad, Venezuela, Libya, Equatorial Guinea."

Shale gas drilling could help Ohio's economy, but Steven Mufson of the Washington Post asks if fracking is worth the human and environmental cost.

Almost a year after the Fukushima disaster, fifty-two of Japan's fifty-four nuclear power plants have been shut down. The reactor explosion destroyed the population's trust in nuclear energy. But the atomic lobby--and the country's industrial needs--could block a possible phase-out, writes Wieland Wagner at Der Spiegel.

Eric Lipton and Clifford Krauss examine the debate about Washington's subsidies for clean-energy projects.

William Nordhaus reviews Michael Graetz's book, The End of Energy, supporting the argument that U.S. energy policy has failed to serve the needs of both our country and environment.   

Juliet Eilperin and Steven Mufson present the complex debate surrounding construction of the Keystone pipeline between Canada and the United States.

Technological advances raise the question of what the U.S. energy industry might accomplish if prices continue to rise. According to author Amy Myers Jaffe, a global energy shift is in the near future that will move the world's supply from the Middle East, back to the Americas.

In the wake of the accident of Fukushima Daiichi, Davd Biello reports that China will temporarily pause its plan to build the most new nuclear reactors in the world, but it will not halt it.

Clive Cookson breaks down the situation at Japan's Fukushima plant and the implications for the future of the nuclear industry.

David Ropeik takes a realistic look at nuclear energy in the wake of Japan's Fukushima disaster.

Ben Casselman and Guy Chazan report on offshore drilling by big oil companies that is made possible by their technological and financial advantages.

This report presents international energy projections through 2030, prepared by the Energy Information Administration, including outlooks for major energy fuels and associated carbon dioxide emissions.