The paradox of energy security
Efforts to secure the flow of energy often do the opposite, reinforcing injustice and historical resentments, argues a new book
Northern Iraq is at war. Renewed sanctions on Iran may be imminent. Opec is cutting supply. Venezuela is collapsing. Relations between Russia and the West are deteriorating. Terror groups are targeting energy assets in countries like Libya and oil-producing South Sudan is a failed state. China is flexing its muscles in the South China Sea. More prosaically, international oil companies have carried out a huge upstream investment retreat since 2014. Such ingredients—especially in combination—would once have spiked oil prices and prompted urgent global summits. These days, oil markets remain sanguine and energy security has lost its paranoia factor. The rise of American oil and gas and public n
Also in this section
16 January 2026
The country’s global energy importance and domestic political fate are interlocked, highlighting its outsized oil and gas powers, and the heightened fallout risk
16 January 2026
The global maritime oil transport sector enters 2026 facing a rare convergence of crude oversupply, record newbuild deliveries and the potential easing of several geopolitical disruptions that have shaped trade flows since 2022
15 January 2026
Rebuilding industry, energy dominance and lower energy costs are key goals that remain at odds in 2026
14 January 2026
Chavez’s socialist reforms boosted state control but pushed knowledge and capital out of the sector, opening the way for the US shale revolution
