Has Saudi Arabia Once More Made a Catastrophic Oil Blunder?

July 15, 2020

In March of this year Saudi Arabia launched what was clearly a catastrophic move to regain its role as the world oil superpower. What initially was a move aimed at taking markets away from Russia, aft…

Black Swans Fly In

May 13, 2020

Opinion

A black swan is slang for an unexpected event with large consequences. 2020 has brought us two so far: the COVID-19 pandemic and the collapse of oil prices. Each will have potent consequences for the …

OPEC+ Deal Resets and Reshapes Oil Geopolitics

April 19, 2020

Opinion

A perfect deal is where all protagonists get something out of it. All oil-producing countries stand to gain if the oil price rebounds. In bare bones, the OPEC+ group led by Saudi Arabia and Russia fin…

The Revival of OPEC+ Is the Next Step in the New Detente

April 10, 2020

Opinion

The emergency OPEC+ talks that are scheduled for 9 April are the next step in the "New Detente" between the US and Russia even though America won't formally be represented at that meeting seeing as ho…

Playing for Higher Stakes: Saudi Arabia Gambles on Oil War with Russia

March 20, 2020

Opinion

Saudi Arabia’s oil spat with Russia throws a spanner into the works of the Kingdom’s long-standing effort to hedge its bets, a strategy that has taken on added significance as the Gulf comes to grips …

How Black Swans Are Shaping Planet Panic

March 13, 2020

Opinion

Is the planet under the spell of a pair of black swans – a Wall Street meltdown, caused by an alleged oil war between Russia and the House of Saud, plus the uncontrolled spread of Covid-19 – leading t…

Saudi-Initiated All-Out Oil War Could Lead to Collapse of Kingdom Itself

March 13, 2020

Opinion

Saudi Arabia launched an all-out oil war offering unprecedented discounts and flooding the market in an attempt to capture a larger share and defeat other oil producers. This “scorched earth” approach…

Russia’s Rejection of OPEC+ was the Result of Cold Geostrategic Calculations

March 11, 2020

Opinion

Russia rejected its OPEC+ partners' request late last week to further curtail its oil production next month because it understood that doing so would make its American shale rivals more competitive, w…