In The News

China Hosts Summit to Rival US

Jonathan Watts June 15, 2006
China hosted an “A-list” gathering of international leaders, with a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). Representatives included Chinese Presient Hu Jintao, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The SCO, formed ten years ago, “is designed to promote peace and stability in a region that has become an increasingly important source of oil and...

US Approach to Iran Has a Familiar Ring

Jay Solomon June 14, 2006
International applause greeted the Bush administration’s policy shift and decision to participate in international talks with Iran about its nuclear program. The basic strategy focuses on offering Iran economic incentives in exchange for compliance on nuclear development. As the talks proceed, US diplomacy with North Korea may emerge as a precedent. In some ways, bargaining with Iran could be...

How Good Is American Intelligence on Iran’s Bomb?

Graham Allison June 13, 2006
The US should be wary of progress in the Iranian nuclear standoff that could either be promising or illusory. Without discounting recent diplomatic achievements, Graham Allison, a former US defense official and a leading analyst of national security and nuclear weapons, cautions that US intelligence on Iran’s nuclear program may not be accurate. US intelligence officers could be drastically...

For Venezuela, A Treasure in Oil Sludge

Juan Forero June 13, 2006
Venezuela has high levels of sludge, called bitumen, once thought of as useless. But now, technology introduced by foreign oil companies such as Chevron Corporation transforms the sludge into oil. The discovery puts the government and oil companies at odds. The government claims that exploration and production in the Orinoco Belt is easy, risk-free and inexpensive and suggests that oil firms...

Report: Biofuels Poised to Displace Oil

June 12, 2006
As governments slowly come to realize that oil is a finite commodity, biofuels attract more attention worldwide. Brazil is the foremost producer of biofuels with the US gaining. The German Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection released an in-depth analysis of the potential risks and benefits of biofuels. Among the risks posed are potential competition between food and...

Saudis Cite Market Forces for Lower Crude Output

Bhushan Bahree June 12, 2006
At a June 1, 2006, meeting of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries in Caracas, cartel members attested to having trouble finding buyers for their crude oil exports. While such oil-producing countries as Saudi Arabia and Iran accumulate a massive inventory of crude, reports suggest that demand for oil is actually going up, according to the New York Mercantile Exchange. Some cartel...

Desert Cities Are Living on Borrowed Time, UN Warns

John Vidal June 9, 2006
Desert cities all over the globe move closer to becoming completely unlivable. Rising temperatures and lack of rain in such areas from Phoenix in the US to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia are affecting as many as 500 million people worldwide with rising water tables beneath irrigated soils, leading to increased salinization. This phenomenon affects large tracts of land all over central and south Asia,...