More OPEC Oil Coming When Iranian Sanctions Removed

If the West and Iran can sign a comprehensive agreement that leads to the removal of sanctions on Iran, how will OPEC respond to the prospect of a flood of new Iranian oil?

The oil majors are all highly interested in jumping into Iran. In Vienna for the OPEC summit this week, executives from Royal Dutch Shell, BP, and Total all expressed interest in the oil and gas reserves in Iran.

The Two Words that Explain China’s Assertive Naval Strategy

The just-completed Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore dwelt largely on China’s maritime ambitions, zeroing in on its construction of artificial islands in the South China Sea. In his keynote address, U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter vowed to “continue to protect freedom of navigation and overflight principles that have ensured security and prosperity in this region for decades.” There should be no mistake, continued Carter, that “the United States will fly, sail, and operate wherever international law allows, as U.S. forces do all over the world.” The United States, its allies, and its partners will exercise “the rights of all nations” to their fullest, he said. That the U.S. secretary of defense traveled to the far side of the world to speak so bluntly shows how seriously Washington takes the China challenge.

Know your enemy: How to break the EU’s gridlock on security measures

Terrorism and organised crime are serious threats to Europe. The EU is better placed than the member-states to deal with the transnational aspects of these threats. But disagreements between the Council and the Parliament result in gridlock over security measures. One reason is that sensitive information cannot be shared with MEPs, leaving them in the dark about both the threats and the means to deal with them. If the EU wants to tackle the threat of terrorism effectively, MEPs should be given adequate access to confidential information.

How Islamic State Victories Shape the Syrian Civil War

Forecast

• The Islamic State will prioritize the defense of its core supply lines, used to provide equipment and much-needed recruits.
• The Islamic State will continue to demonstrate considerable flexibility in its offensive operations. 
• The Syrian government and rebel forces will have to increasingly devote their attention and resources to fighting the Islamic State, rather than prioritizing battles with each other. 

Ν. Κοτζιάς: «Χωρίς την Ελλάδα δεν μπορεί να υπάρχει Ευρώπη»

Χωρίς την Ελλάδα δεν μπορεί να υπάρχει Ευρώπη, τόνισε ο υπουργός Εξωτερικών Νίκος Κοτζιάς, ο οποίος, συμμετέχοντας στο τρίτο φεστιβάλ Φιλοσοφίας της Δυτικογερμανικής Ραδιοφωνίας (WDR), έκανε λόγο για αφόρητες πιέσεις που ασκούνται στην Ελλάδα στη διάρκεια των διαπραγματεύσεων, τη λανθασμένη συνταγή λιτότητας, αλλά και τα στερεότυπα της γερμανικής πολιτικής που οδηγούν σε προκαταλήψεις μεταξύ δύο λαών με πολύ στενές παραδοσιακά σχέσεις.

Όπως αναφέρεται στην ιστοσελίδα της ελληνικής έκδοσης της Deutsche Welle (dw.de), στο στρογγυλό τραπέζι του κατάμεστου κεντρικού στούντιο του WDR και με «ανακριτή» τον οικονομικό συντάκτη Χάραλντ Σούμαν, γνωστό από το ντοκιμαντέρ του με τίτλο «Η Τρόικα – Ισχύς χωρίς Έλεγχο» ο Νίκος Κοτζιάς χρησιμοποίησε οπλοστάσιο από την οικονομία, την ιστορία, τη φιλοσοφία, τη μυθολογία, τη λογοτεχνία και τη ψυχολογία για να αποδείξει πόσο λανθασμένη είναι η συνταγή λιτότητας και καταχειροκροτήθηκε από το κοινό.

Ο "εφιάλτης" της Γερμανίας

Με τον Βρετανό πρωθυπουργό David Cameron να ξεκινάει την εκστρατεία του για μεταρρύθμιση της Ευρώπης ή για περισσότερες απαλλαγές για τη Βρετανία και μια ελληνική χρεοκοπία στον ορίζοντα, οι προσπάθειες της Γερμανίδας Καγκελαριου Angela Merkel να διατηρήσει την Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση προς τα εμπρός, έχουν γίνει πιο απαιτητικές: μετά από τις προεδρικές εκλογές στην Πολωνία και τις περιφερειακές εκλογές στην Ισπανία, δύο ακόμη χώρες έχουν μετακινηθεί ψηλά στην λίστα των ανησυχιών της με τους Ευρωπαίους εταίρους.

Malaysia’s political risk produces mixed performance

While Malaysia’s government has utilized smart policies to counter falling oil prices and diversification challenges, political conflict within the ruling party is harming the business environment and is causing economic instability.

Malaysia scores high in political risk. Since April, its Prime Minister has faced increasing pressure to step down. Clampdowns on civil society are increasingly frequent. Finally, the price of one of its largest exports, oil, has slumped.

Do Or Die For Mexico’s Neglected Oil Sector

The Mexican government softened some rules on the bidding process for new oil tracts in an effort to placate private oil companies who had complained about too many restrictions. With the changes, the Mexican government gets rid of caps that would limit oil companies to bidding on only a certain number of contracts.

There were other tweaks to the auction terms that would sweeten the pot for bidding companies. Exploration companies will now be able to have more of their exploration costs recovered, with the possibility of seeing a 125 percent return for their costs if an oil discovery is commercialized. In return, oil companies will pay higher taxes to the Mexican government if their profits balloon beyond a certain threshold.

Hezbollah Is ‘Stronger Than Ever’

 

Along the vast mountain range that marks the Lebanon-Syria border, Hezbollah fighters point out recently captured al-Nusra Front training sites and military positions, and describe how they’ve been able to clear the area of the jihadis. They pick their way over the remnants of the al Qaeda affiliate’s makeshift camp, where clothes, tins of foods, and shell casings are strewn across the ground.

A ten-point plan to strengthen Westminster's oversight of EU policy

One of David Cameron's EU reform demands is a greater role for national parliaments in the EU, in an attempt to make the Union more democratically accountable. Low turnouts in European elections have strengthened the British belief that the European Parliament is unrepresentative, and that national parliaments should have a stronger say.

Some suggest that parliaments should be able to club together to block a European Commission proposal, or to encourage the Commission to propose laws that would be in their interests. But the House of Commons' scrutiny of EU affairs is weak, and represents a missed opportunity to strengthen democratic accountability at the national level.