Suchergebnisse

Russia is the world's largest energy exporter by a wide margin. The Russian invasion of Ukraine and the Western sanctions against Russia will therefore affect many parts of the global energy system. Worldwide investments in renewable energy will be incentivized by the higher fossil fuel prices. Petrostates will likely benefit from higher oil and gas prices for a few years, only to eventually experience a steeper decline than previously foreseen. Germany and other European countries may find that they are no longer suitable locations for energy-intensive industries. China might find itself in an advantageous position, importing fossil fuels cheaply from Russia even as international demand for clean energy equipment made in China skyrockets. The outlook for blue hydrogen has worsened, while that for green hydrogen has improved.

To increase energy efficiency in Russia, subsidies should be cut and energy prices increased so as to create an incentive to save energy. It is widely believed that the Russian authorities shy away from increasing gas prices for private households, because they fear the political consequences. It is difficult to determine exactly how high gas consumption in private households is and the extent to which it is subsidized. However, in light of demographic and cultural changes and increases in household income, it is unlikely that the price of gas could become a conflict-laden issue. Adapted from the source document.

This article examines the nexus between Russian territorial interests and energy policy in the Arctic, as well as Western interpretations of Russian behaviour in these areas. The first part of the article deals with Russia's general Arctic policy and attempts to debunk some geopolitical myths, while the second part zooms in on the energy resources in the Russian Arctic and the prospects for the participation of international oil companies in the extraction of those resources. The article argues that Western accounts of Russian interest in the Arctic are often distorted. In fact, the approach taken by Russia is not unlike that of the Western Arctic littoral states. Adapted from the source document.

Russia's Arctic policy is often interpreted in geopolitical categories. But an energy-driven competition over resources is not taking place in the far north. The greater part of the oil and gas suspected in the Arctic is in territories that Russia indisputably has the sole right to develop. Therefore, what is being observed is more of a beauty contest in which international oil firms are competing to participate in the most attractive extraction projects. The Shtokman field could serve as a model. However, various developments on the international oil and gas markets are threatening this project. Adapted from the source document.

This article examines the coordination of humanitarian aid to displaced Afghans on the border between Afghanistan and Tajikistan from 2000 to 2002, in order to draw lessons that may be useful in connection with the return of the remaining displaced Afghans and other groups of refugees and IDPs. It examines the roles of the various organizations involved in the humanitarian operation, focusing on UNHCR and its position as lead agency. The case of the displaced Afghans on the border between Afghanistan and Tajikistan highlights some problematic consequences of locating coordinating functions in sectoral lead agencies, and some advantages of neutral coordination bodies such as OCHA. It also demonstrates the importance of a balance between information gathering, processing and sharing, as well as the interconnections between coordination by command and coordination by consensus. (Original abstract)

Between Nov 2003 & Jun 2004, Georgia experienced several dramatic political events. President Eduard Shevardnadze was ousted in a peaceful revolt that was subsequently dubbed the 'Rose Revolution.' He was replaced by a trio of young politicians with the charismatic 35-year-old Mikheil Saakashvili at the helm. The article argues that the actual change was less deep than it was presented in the international media, & that it primarily constituted a youth rebellion within the ethnically Georgian elite in the country's capital, Tbilisi. The new generation of leaders faces a range of pressing problems, in particular corruption & the disintegration of the Georgian state. Several high-profile arrests have been carried out & the renegade republic Adjara was brought back into the fold when Tbilisi won a standoff with its corrupt leader, Asian Abashidze. Problems such as the separatist movement in Abkhazia will, however, be far more difficult to solve. There is a danger that Saakashvili's regime will proceed too fast, be sidetracked by vendettas against old enemies or fail to consolidate democracy. At the moment, however, this is one of the most promising governments in the former Soviet Union. 28 References. Adapted from the source document.