OPEC+ versus the United States and World Democracies

Fall 2022/Winter 2023 / Essays

The OPEC+ decision to cut oil production opens the door to further politicization of the global oil industry, particularly between the United States and Saudi Arabia

The Saudi-U.S. Nexus: BFFs No More?

November 7, 2022 / Essays

Years of tension between Riyadh and Washington over key geopolitical issues have soured a once ironclad relationship.

Locked-in Emissions: The Climate Change Arms Trade

Fall 2021 / Essays

With militaries’ locked-in fossil fuel systems and looming climate chaos, the arms industry continues to take advantage of nefarious profit opportunities.

A Surplus of Deficits

Spring 2020 / Essays

From a political economy perspective, there are four key forces working against the peace and prosperity of Middle Eastern and North African states. To defeat them, robust institutions are essential.

The Geo-economic Fallout of COVID-19 for the Middle East

April 23, 2020 / Essays

The COVID-19 coronavirus will cause long-term consequences for the Middle East; a combination of chaos in oil markets and contraction of gross domestic product will present challenges for years to come.

The Return of Geopolitics

Spring 2019 / Essays

In the post-Arab Spring Middle East, the forces of geopolitics and geo-economics are shaping the region and potentially point to a more cooperative future

Kirkuk’s Oil Chessboard

Winter 2018 / Essays

ISIS, the Kurdistan Regional Government, the Iraqi government, and numerous other regional and international players have all vied for control of Kirkuk’s oil. But the struggle to rule this commodity has become a political chess game stretching across northern Iraq and beyond.