Features / Political Review
Oil in disequilibrium
The turbulence in oil markets in the past couple of months was, perhaps, a shock for many speculators. It was only a few months ago that oil traded at $147 a barrel. Today, it trades around $70 a barrel (if not less), a fall of more than 50% Energy policy in the race between Obama and McCain
The U.S presidential race has grown as a thrilling one. Of all the speeches given by the two candidates, Barack Obama and John McCain, perhaps those concerned with energy policies remain all-important for American citizens Between a rock and a hard place
At a time, when Egypt tries to put a brake on energy subsidies, a report issued last month by the Ministers Council's Information and Decision-Support Centre showed that Egypt's oil production has been on the decrease in 2007. The report said that Egypt is among the top countries that subsidize petroleum, making the prices of its products lower than international prices. Opening a way, Iraq opens the door to international oil companies
After five years of occupation, Iraq decided to open its oilfields to foreign companies. The Iraqi government’s decision will pave the way for multi-national companies to start developing oilfields in the oil-rich country next year; after thirty years of war, sanctions and poor government have left the country’s oil infrastructure in tatters. Failed Summit? Jeddah oil summit apparently failed to bear fruit
As oil prices continued to climb unprecedented highs, consumers and economies across the United States, Europe and much of the world have been negatively affected. Moreover, many countries have experienced social unrest and economic turmoil as a result of the food crisis augmented by soaring oil prices. Sudan’s oil in turmoil
For many years now, Sudan has failed to capitalize on its considerable oil reserves due to the non-stop state of war the country has been experiencing either in the form of civil war or because of being at war with neighboring countries. As a matter of fact, Sudan has emerged as one of the oil-rich countries with great potentials of late, boasting proven oil reserves of 6.4 billion barrels, which are 32 times more than was estimated in 1981. Both reserves and production cover 0.5% of the world’s reserves and production Fuel Fears
Oil prices continued to make headlines throughout the past weeks. Soaring prices of oil has become the talk of the town, augmenting fears that the global economy could see a wide-scale recession. Therefore, Energy ministers of the advanced nations last month expressed serious concerns about soaring oil prices and urged oil-producing countries to increase production through greater investment and provide more transparency on oil supply data. Bio-fuel blamed for food crisis!
"The end of cheap food era," ran the headline of The Economist few months ago. The anticipation was but a prelude to an era that would witness a steady increase in food prices all over the world. Protests and demonstrations swept more than 30 countries and are still moving from one poor country to another, posing a serious threat to global social security 
