Suchergebnisse

How can the industrialized countries reduce their vulnerability to supply disruptions caused by continued dependence on foreign sources of oil? How can access to Middle East oil be made more secure? These are the core questions that arise from a new worldwide energy situation in which the industrialized countries have remained dependent on oil and oil imports for their economic, political, and military well-being, while control of these resources has passed to an increasingly small number of less-developed countries whose interests do not automatically or necessarily coincide with those of the consuming, industrialized countries. With a focus on these questions, The Geopolitics of Energy analyzes the present worldwide energy situation and its likely evolution over the remainder of the century. The authors consider likely developments in coal, gas, and nuclear energy; the outlook for oil, which will remain the dominant energy source at least through the 1990s; and the implications of this energy outlook for U.S. foreign policy, intra-Western alliance relations, and North-South and East-West relations. Identifying the issues that will concern governments as long as the need for oil is pervasive-until alternative energy sources begin contributing significantly to world energy supply-the authors conclude with policy recommendations for the United States based on their analysis of the energy situation and its consequences. This book is based on a report prepared for the U.S. Department of Defense.

The proximity of vast reserves of natural gas to the great energy-consuming markets of the world, the relative environmental harmlessness of gas, and its competitive price make the use of gas increasingly attractive to an energy-hungry world. Within the next two decades we will see the use of gas and gas-related technologies expand in industrialized nations as well as among developing countries. An international group of authorities on the political economy of natural gas analyzes the key factors influencing present gas supplies and uses and looks to the future, when new logistic systems and technological advances will affect both producers and consumers. The basic political, economic, and security considerations of energy will undergo a concomitant change in response to the increased availability and affordability of gas. In most markets, government monopolies direct the gas trade; in North America there will be a renewed role for private enterprise. Japan may also find its position greatly altered; although there are at present no pipeline connections to suppliers, and Japan is currently dependent on far-away sources of liquified natural gas, the contributors predict that future gas links to East Asia are highly likely. The World Gas Trade explores the growing gas trade, anticipating that within the next several decades the foundation will have been laid for gas-fueled economies to displace oil-based economies in the world system.

Aus US-amerikanischer Sicht