Geopolitics Archives

9Mar

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Diplomacy and International Law, Energy Policy, Oil & Gas, Types of News: Brief

US, Venezuela Resume Diplomatic Talks

U.S Prisoners Held In Venezuela Return Home March 9, 2022--As the United States cuts off imports of oil from Russia, it opens doors for a resumption of trade with other countries under U.S. sanctions. Namely, it opens possibilities for Venezuela and Iran. In the latter case, Iran, negotiations have been ongoing in Vienna for months. Talks Resume In the case of Venezuela, diplomats restarted talks that had stalled. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki confirmed on Tuesday U.S. envoy had traveled to resume talks on "a range of topics" and those talks are ongoing. Venezuela backed Russia on a recent UN vote, abstaining from a resolution on by the UN Human Rights Council. And Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro stands firm in his commitment to his communist revolution. His Twitt...

International Agency Says Europe Can Cut 1/3 Of Its Russian Gas Imports

7Mar

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Climate Action, ESG, Sustainable Finance, Energy Policy, Oil & Gas, Europe, EU, Eurozone, and United Kingdom, Geopolitics, Globalization, Disintegration, Nationalism, Populism, Organizations, IMF, WTO, G7, UN Security Council, Types of News: Brief

International Agency Says Europe Can Cut 1/3 Of Its Russian Gas Imports

March 7, 2022--Europe is notoriously dependent on Russian oil and gas. That reliance is making strict penalties on Russia's invasion difficult to carry out. But that trade isn't set in stone. In a new report, the International Energy Agency recommends 10 steps for European leaders who want to break that dependency. Under the IEA plan, Europe would be able to reduce its natural gas imports from Russia from 155 billion cubic meters (bcm) a year to 95 bcm--a savings of one third. These figures assume Europe refills is gas storage facilities in 2022. According the the report, the steps are in line with the European Union's goals for climate action and a European Green Deal. However, the agency also recommends additional steps in light of Russia's aggressive war against Ukraine. 10 Steps ...

Looking At The Economic Effects Of Russia’s War

7Mar

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Eastern Europe, Energy Policy, Oil & Gas, Global Economics, WAR: Dispatches & Dialogue

Looking At The Economic Effects Of Russia’s War

Energy Price Spikes Lead Economic Impact Of War March 7, 2022—By far, the greatest cost of Russia's war against Ukraine is the humanitarian costs: the lives lost, the forced displacement, and the psychological trauma. As the world faces down Russia's aggression, we also need to recognize and prepare for the economic effects. The battle and emerging breakdown of global trade are also having an economic impact, and it is helpful for individuals to brace themselves for that. "The near-term effects on the U.S. economy of the invasion of Ukraine, the ongoing war, the sanctions, and of events to come, remain highly uncertain," Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said recently. "We will need to be nimble in responding to incoming data and the evolving outlook."-House Financial Service...

Turkey: NATO Should Have Stopped Russia’s Invasion

25Feb

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Diplomacy and International Law, Geopolitics, Legal Battles, International Law, Justice, Organizations, IMF, WTO, G7, UN Security Council, Types of News: Brief

Turkey: NATO Should Have Stopped Russia’s Invasion

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an joins a virtual NATO meeting on Feb. 25, 2022. Source: Turkey's Government February 25, 2022--As Russia closed in on Ukraine's capital city Kyiv, the NATO alliance held an emergency virtual meeting today. Just hours before the meeting, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an suggested that NATO and the European Union should have stopped the invasion. "NATO should have taken a more decisive step," Erdogan said to reporters, according to Reuters and other press reports. "The EU and all the rest of the West have failed to display a decisive and serious stance. They give plenty of advice to Ukraine. It’s not possible to get a result through this advice," Erdo?an said. Turkey is a NATO member and a neighbor of Russia. In a press release on Thur...

Amid Russian War, IEA Closely Watching Oil & Gas Markets

24Feb

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Energy Policy, Oil & Gas, Types of News: Brief

Amid Russian War, IEA Closely Watching Oil & Gas Markets

Photo: IEA February 24, 2022--As Russia intensified its war against Ukraine and G7 countries accelerated sanctions against Russia, the International Energy Agency announced it is closely monitoring the world's supply of oil and gas. Russia is the world's second-largest oil producer. Only the United States produces more oil at this time. According to the IEA, "Russian oil exports transiting Ukraine via the southern branch of the Druzhba pipeline to supply Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic" are most likely to be impacted by the conflict. "While the specific impact on world oil markets is yet to be determined, IEA Member Countries stand ready to act collectively to ensure that global oil markets are adequately supplied," the agency said on Tuesday. The United States: 12.1 m...

Biden Aims To Secure U.S.-Based Critical Minerals

24Feb

By Jacob DavenportNo Comments

Climate Action, ESG, Sustainable Finance, Globalization, Disintegration, Nationalism, Populism, Types of News: Brief

Biden Aims To Secure U.S.-Based Critical Minerals

Feb. 24, 2022--U.S. President Joe Biden met with corporate executives, labor leaders, and California Governor Newsom on Tuesday to announce a commitment to reduce America’s dependency from other nations for critical minerals like lithium and graphite. It is part of Biden's review of U.S. supply chains, which started with an executive order in 2021. The goal, according to the White House statement, is to reduce dependency on China. While moving toward self-sufficiency, the White House is focused on creating sustainable jobs within this industry while benefiting communities. The private sector is taking action. Corporate leaders discussed their plans to extract, collect and recycle critical minerals. Industry Advances Along that line, this Spring, Berkshire Hathaway Energy Renewable...

Russian Troops Enter Ukraine As Diplomacy Fails To Stop Crisis

22Feb

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Diplomacy and International Law, Eastern Europe, Geopolitics, Organizations, IMF, WTO, G7, UN Security Council, Types of News: Analysis

Russian Troops Enter Ukraine As Diplomacy Fails To Stop Crisis

Putin Revives Soviet Sentiment, Calls Ukrainians 'Our Comrades' February 22, 2022—Despite nearly non-stop diplomacy by all sides for over a month, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered troops into Ukraine late Monday night. The announcement and troop movement came after Putin recognized the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent countries. Russian President Putin recognizes breakaway republics of Ukraine as independent and signs treaties of friendship. Feb. 21, 2022 Source: Kremlin While many in the West expected a Russian invasion into Ukraine, Russian diplomats continued to deny such a possibility as late as last week during a UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine. The Security Council met again last night in an emergency session. Ironically, the coun...

Senators Examine Hydrogen As Potential Source Of Clean Energy

15Feb

By Jacob DavenportNo Comments

Climate Action, ESG, Sustainable Finance, Types of News: Videos

Senators Examine Hydrogen As Potential Source Of Clean Energy

Source: Dept. of Energy February 15, 2022--Sen. Joe Manchin and members of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee examined the potential for using hydrogen as a source of clean energy across multiple sectors of the economy, but especially in the transportation sector. "Clean hydrogen is a versatile fuel that has the potential to significantly decarbonize many sectors of our economy, including the power, transportation, and industrial sectors," said Manchin, the committee chairman, on Feb. 10. "We’ve made a lot of progress decarbonizing the power sector but the transportation and industrial sectors are harder, and clean hydrogen could be integral to getting at those parts of our economy." Industries Impacted If developed more, hydrogen could impact the shipping and av...

Biden And Putin To Talk Thursday To Try To Ease Tensions

29Dec

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Diplomacy and International Law, Geopolitics, Types of News: Brief

Biden And Putin To Talk Thursday To Try To Ease Tensions

December 29, 2021--Amid rising tensions between the West and Russia, U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin are scheduled to meet by phone on Thursday. The talks come as military tensions rise between Russia and the West over Ukraine. The phone conversation comes ahead of diplomatic meetings scheduled in January in Geneva between Russia and the United States. "By and large we are seeing positive traction at this point," Putin said of the discussions during his Dec. 23 annual press conference. He said the topic of Ukraine is "a formidable issue" concerning Russia's security. He added that conflict "is not our choice." https://youtu.be/fwThVdceKv4 Conflict "is not our choice," Putin said during his Dec. 23 annual press conference. Relations between Russia...

U.S.-Russia To Continue Talks On Sensitive Strategic Issues, Biden Says

8Dec

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Diplomacy and International Law, Geopolitics, Sanctions, Types of News: Brief

U.S.-Russia To Continue Talks On Sensitive Strategic Issues, Biden Says

NATO Is At The Heart Of Most Sensitive Concerns December 8, 2021--In a virtual meeting held Tuesday, U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the rocky relationship between the two countries as well as other sensitive and strategic issues. Speaking with reporters today, Biden said U.S.-Russian teams are in "constant contact" to bring "down the temperature along the eastern front." Talks are likely to continue, Biden said, to address Russia's concern regarding the NATO alliance's expansionary aims. Ukraine, NATO & Russia Ukraine -- a country located between Europe and Russia and divided between the East and West -- is at the center of attention. In recent weeks, Russia amassed troops along the Russian-Ukrainian border. Biden said he made cl...