Meghan O'Sullivan says that discoveries of large, underwater gas fields in the eastern Mediterranean could bring economic and political benefits as well as regional clout to Israel at a time when Israel's regional standing is more uncertain than it has been for decades.
Recent advances have made wind and solar power more competitive than ever. Still, governments must redesign their policies and help renewables slash costs.
Michael Spence writes that myopic U.S. energy policies highlight the need for persistence, longer-term thinking, and bipartisanship in U.S. policymaking.
Prices at the pump are emerging as a significant U.S. election issue. Five experts offer a range of policy options, from lowering regulations to encouraging less consumption.
Drawing on the lessons of the Information Technology Agreement, Matthew Slaughter calls for the elimination of international trade and investment barriers in energy industries.
One year after the Fukushima nuclear crisis, Japan is facing a dilemma of how to clean up the disaster and how to meet current and future energy needs, says expert Charles D. Ferguson, even as the global nuclear industry continues to face the accident's aftershocks.
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.
John Campbell says that as oil-rich Nigeria continues to suffer from decades-long dysfunctional governance and tensions between the Christian South and the Muslim North are rising, Nigeria is in need of creative American diplomacy.
China has increased its economic ties with Africa as it seeks to fulfill its growing energy demands. But China's way of doing business has prompted international criticism, even as its policy of noninterference faces new challenges.
The Keystone XL pipeline debate shows the pitfalls of politics intruding on energy policy, says CFR's Michael Levi. He reviews the pros and cons of the issue and proposes additional steps to bolster U.S. energy security.
Sanctions over Iran's nuclear program have triggered threats involving the strategic Strait of Hormuz and new debate over the methods chosen to pressure Tehran.
Fatih Birol, chief economist of the International Energy Agency, speaks about major components shaping the current World Energy Outlook including energy efficiency and lack of electric power.
Fatih Birol, chief economist at the International Energy Agency, discusses U.S., European, and Chinese oil imports, as well as the consistent annual growth in global temperatures.
The Council on Foreign Relations' David Rockefeller Studies Program—CFR's "think tank"—is home to more than seventy full-time, adjunct, and visiting scholars and practitioners (called "fellows"). Their expertise covers the world's major regions as well as the critical issues shaping today's global agenda. Download the printable CFR Experts Guide.
Special operations play a critical role in how the United States confronts irregular threats, but to have long-term strategic impact, the author argues, numerous shortfalls must be addressed.
The author analyzes the potentially serious consequences, both at home and abroad, of a lightly overseen drone program and makes recommendations for improving its governance.
Two experts argue that despite myriad development strategies, only one can succeed in alleviating poverty in India: the overall growth of the country's economy. More