Just as access to American markets and capital was once a key component of U.S. diplomacy, China is now employing its financial and trade muscle to win influence. It's "New Silk Road" maritime and land belts have become the centerpiece of its economic diplomacy.
The only sensible oil-pricing strategy for Saudi Arabia and OPEC — in light of U.S. shale output — is to focus on market share and allow prices to decline to the point at which they slow the growth in non-OPEC output and lessen the ...
Saudi Arabia is sometimes likened to a central bank managing the global oil market, adding or withdrawing supplies to control prices. But that vastly overstates the degree of influence, let alone control, that the kingdom exercises over the market.
Bandar Abbas, home of Iran's navy and the main port in the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, hosts two Chinese naval vessels on a five-day goodwill visit, underscoring the increasingly warm relationship between the two countries.
Doubts about the sustainability of the North American oil and gas boom center on rapidly declining output from many shale wells after they are drilled.
Shared development of oil, gas and possibly other natural resources is the most promising option for reducing tensions in the South China Sea and should be the focus of efforts to improve diplomatic relations between China and its coastal neighbors.
The coastal states around the South and East China Seas will have to agree to divide, share or pool their sovereignty in the interests of security and to permit the peaceful exploitation of the resources.
Shifting to natural gas is at the heart of the U.S. government's proposed new rules for power plant emissions. But gas is only more environmentally friendly if it is produced, transported and burned carefully — without too much leaking into the atmosphere.
The probability of a solar storm striking Earth in the next decade with enough force to do serious damage to electricity networks, lasting perhaps for months, could be as high as 12 percent.
As the U.S. becomes more cautious about military intervention, financial sanctions are being seen as an increasingly attractive alternative in the pursuit of national security and foreign policy goals. But their overuse could spur a major effort to reroute financial transactions away from the ...
