Energy & Economics

Policy Analysis on Energy & Economics

Saudi Prince’s Vision Marred by Oil Price—and a Death

The combo of local opposition to a high-tech urbanization project and oil market volatility has cast a shadow over Riyadh’s long-term economic plans.

Apr 29, 2020

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Simon Henderson

Brief Analysis

Coronavirus on the Israeli-Palestinian Scene (Part 1): The West Bank and East Jerusalem

The outbreak has temporarily shifted the two sides from squabbling over the ‘deal of the century’ to cooperating against the ‘pandemic of the century,’ though bitter political differences continue to cause tensions.

Apr 28, 2020

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Michael Herzog
Ghaith al-Omari

Brief Analysis

Iran’s Eurasian Wager

Many aspects of Iranian engagement with the Eurasian Economic Union seem paltry, but the bloc offers a semblance of assured trade, diplomacy, and counter-Western alignment that could still be meaningful to Tehran amid multiple crises.

Apr 27, 2020

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Kevjn Lim

Brief Analysis

Corona in the Casbah: The Pandemic’s Destabilizing Impact on Algeria

Given that the local economic repercussions of COVID-19 could be severe, Washington should prepare for the prospect of instability erupting in Africa’s largest country.

Apr 22, 2020

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Sarah Feuer

Articles & Testimony

Will Crashing Oil Prices Put American Energy in Its Coffin?

The prospect of a full shale collapse has spurred politicians and oil companies to raise furious questions about the future of U.S. economic and military cooperation with Saudi Arabia.

Apr 21, 2020

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Simon Henderson

Video

Brief Analysis

Iran's Coronavirus Crisis: Implications for U.S. Policy

Read or watch an expert conversation on the immediate and long-term effects of the Islamic Republic’s response to the pandemic. How will Iranian politics change? How much aid can Tehran get under sanctions? How will the global economic slowdown affect daily life there?

Apr 16, 2020

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Amir Afkhami
Mehdi Khalaji
Patrick Clawson
Katherine Bauer

Brief Analysis

Opposing an IMF Loan to Iran: Not an Outlier, Not a Barrier to Aid

Washington often objects to loans that it deems insufficiently rigorous, but its blocking attempts usually fail—and Iran has no need for the funds anyway.

Apr 14, 2020

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Patrick Clawson

Articles & Testimony

Will the OPEC Agreement Work and, If So, How Long Will It Last?

The market appears to doubt that the deal will suffice, and royal family dynamics could push the oil crisis into further rounds.

Apr 13, 2020

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Simon Henderson

Brief Analysis

Iraq Goes from Zurfi to Kadhimi: U.S. Policy Implications

If Kadhimi’s nomination goes through, it would be good news for Iraq, but Washington’s troubled relationship with Baghdad still needs a radical strategic reset.

Apr 9, 2020

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Michael Knights

Brief Analysis

Houthis Release Their Wish List for Ending the Yemen War

Reflecting just how emboldened the Houthis have become, their latest ceasefire document advocates maximalist positions on core issues while demanding that other actors foot the bill for reconstruction, reparations, economic recovery, and virus containment.

Apr 9, 2020

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Elana DeLozier

Articles & Testimony

Trump Considers a Cameo Role in Saudi-Russia Oil Price Drama

The president’s latest statements on OPEC and the possibility of U.S. tariffs are ambiguous, but they suggest his growing exasperation with Moscow and Riyadh.

Apr 6, 2020

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Simon Henderson

Articles & Testimony

The Saudi-Russia Oil Fight Is the Last Thing the Economy Needs in a Pandemic

Both governments have gone “crazy” in the fast-moving price war, but the White House is apparently divided on who to blame and how much to get involved.

Apr 1, 2020

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Simon Henderson

Articles & Testimony

Sanctions Relief Isn’t Necessary to Assist Iran’s Coronavirus Response

Washington can facilitate aid without fundamentally altering the sanctions infrastructure, in part by clarifying the rules on allowable humanitarian trade, expanded NGO activities, and Tehran’s existing financial options.

Mar 31, 2020

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Katherine Bauer
Dana Stroul

Articles & Testimony

U.S. Policy in the Middle East Amid Great Power Competition

Viewing regional issues through this broader strategic lens will require Washington to accept painful trade-offs and take a tougher stance with difficult allies.

Mar 30, 2020

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Michael Singh

Brief Analysis

How to Serve U.S. Interests by Saving Kurdistan’s Economy

Unless Washington intervenes with cost-effective, forceful measures, Iraqi Kurdistan could be the first Middle Eastern economy to implode under the pressure of coronavirus and low oil prices.

Mar 30, 2020

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Michael Knights

Brief Analysis

With COVID-19, Iran’s Dependence on China Grows

Beijing has steadily become Tehran’s economic ventilator, diplomatic prop, and military enabler, and the Iranians need this backstop now more than ever.

Mar 27, 2020

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Kevjn Lim

Brief Analysis

Khamenei’s Nowruz Speech in a Time of Coronavirus

His remarks focused on inspiring the nation to stay strong in the face of the crisis while refusing to trust U.S. aid, though without mentioning his normal laundry list of foreign policy issues.

Mar 23, 2020

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Omer Carmi

Brief Analysis

Don’t Count Out U.S. Oil Production as a Market-Shaper

Total U.S. production from all sources will remain the world’s largest no matter how low prices go, leaving Washington (and Texas) with considerable room to help domestic companies and press Riyadh and Moscow on stabilizing prices.

Mar 20, 2020

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Patrick Clawson

Articles & Testimony

In the Saudi-Russian Oil Price War, the U.S. Blinks First

This is President Trump’s dilemma: how to safeguard America’s shale-based energy independence without making apparent concessions to Moscow.

Mar 20, 2020

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Simon Henderson

Brief Analysis

Giving Iraq’s Next Prime Minister Space to Succeed

As the next well-qualified, Iraqi-chosen candidate navigates the delicate ratification process, Washington can avoid disrupting his efforts by temporarily ignoring militia provocations and providing quiet, symbolic support where needed.

Mar 17, 2020

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Michael Knights

Supported by the

Bernstein Program on Gulf and Energy Policy

The Washington Institute's Bernstein Program on Gulf and Energy Policy embodies the Institute's long-term research focus on the conservative Arab Gulf states -- Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, and Oman -- and the key role these countries play collectively as a primary source of the world's oil and natural gas.

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Featured experts

Patrick Clawson

Patrick Clawson is the Morningstar Senior Fellow and Research Counselor at The Washington Institute.

Simon Henderson

Simon Henderson is the Baker Senior Fellow and director of the Bernstein Program on Gulf and Energy Policy at The Washington Institute, specializing in energy matters and the conservative Arab states of the Persian Gulf.