US energy policies creak in a changing world
Accepted wisdoms crumble due to energy independence, a capricious administration, Middle Eastern adventurism and the rise of China
You cannot over-estimate the impact of the shale revolution on US policy. So said veteran energy expert Edward Chow at the Flame conference in Amsterdam in May. Nor is he the only energy strategist to see the US approach to the global energy market and its interaction with the wider geopolitical environment changing or needing to change. An import-dependent US was very much allied with its partners in Europe and Asia, says Chow, now a senior associate for the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). But, with the US becoming a major refined products and gas exporter, and well on its way to being a net exporter of crude, the "close energy security alliance and alignment has disa
Also in this section
24 March 2026
It is an unusual story of out with the new and in with the old, as America First Refining shows the US going back to trusted energy security developments
23 March 2026
A complex and sometimes contradictory web of factors that include unpredictable oil prices, the globalisation of LNG markets, the expansion of Middle Eastern sovereign capital and the growth of datacentre demand will shape the energy landscape beyond 2026
23 March 2026
The Strait of Hormuz crisis highlights how key waterways can become global chokepoints
20 March 2026
Attacks on key oil and LNG assets across the Gulf mean a prolonged supply disruption, with damage to Qatar’s export capacity undermining confidence in the global gas system






