Latest Articles about Energy
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Russians Grapple With Oil Price War at a Time of Pandemic
The timing could not have been worse for Russia to provoke a spat with Saudi Arabia over oil production quotas in early March. Moscow’s decision to withdraw from the OPEC+ agreement restricting oil production in order to maintain higher oil prices triggered a harsh reaction... MORE
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Belarus’s Geopolitical Loneliness
The veil of uncertainty (see EDM, March 17) surrounding Belarus’s short- to medium-term socio-economic prospects continues to thicken. Alexander Chubrik, a reputable economist, writes about the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse who have arrived in Belarus at the same time (Tut.by, March 16). They represent... MORE
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Collateral Damage: Azerbaijan and Central Asia Are Caught in Russia’s Oil War
As the novel coronavirus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic continued to spread across the Eurasian landmass and beyond, the energy-producing states of the South Caucasus and Central Asia were dealt a separate, serious economic blow by Russia. Specifically, Russia’s decision to pull out of the... MORE
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Belarus Navigates a Time of Uncertainty
“Utmost uncertainty” is perhaps the most fitting label summarizing the current situation in Belarus. Against the backdrop of a possible recession, international oil prices plummeted on March 9, in the wake of Russia’s decision to pull out of the so-called OPEC+ agreement with Saudi Arabia,... MORE
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China-Iran Relations: The Not-So-Special “Special Relationship”
Introduction Over the years, unremitting hostility between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran has created opportunities as well as dilemmas for the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The Trump administration’s unilateral withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in May... MORE
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Belarus Struggles to Find Alternative Oil Supplies as Standoff With Russia Lingers
Belarus continues to scramble in search of alternate oil sources two months after its traditional Russian suppliers halted flows through the Druzhba Pipeline (see EDM, January 22, February 13). The five suppliers that have provided Belarus with 90 percent of its oil for years cut... MORE
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Economic Doldrums for Belarus, or a Possible End to the Price War With Russia?
The Belarusian economy has begun to sustain losses due to the disruption of Russian oil supplies. Whereas the country’s gross domestic product grew 1.2 percent in 2019 (annual growth), in January 2020, it was 1.9 percent lower than in January 2019. The government had predicted... MORE
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Russia Steps up Efforts to Dominate Arctic Region
Moscow approved a number of policy decrees on January 30 that de facto establish a foundation for the introduction of a Russian Arctic strategy until 2035 (see EDM, February 11). Russia’s huge expectations for the Arctic region center on the Northern Sea Route (NSR), whose... MORE
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Russia Faces New Demands and Conditions From Bulgaria
Tensions between Russia and Bulgaria looked on the verge of resolution at the end of last month. But trust between the two countries has since declined. In late January, Bulgaria announced its intention to replace half of its Russian natural gas consumption with volumes from... MORE
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Russia and Belarus Enter a New Phase in Their Energy Relations
Presidents Alyaksandr Lukashenka and Vladimir Putin met in the Russian resort town of Sochi, on February 7, to resolve the multi-layered energy pricing disputes between them (see EDM, February 11). These talks were ultimately not as fruitless as their numerous summits in 2019 (Tut.by, February... MORE