Author Archives: Sean Patrick Hazlett

About Sean Patrick Hazlett

Finance executive, engineer, former military officer, and science fiction and horror writer. Editor of the Weird World War III anthology.

Climate Chain Reaction: From Egypt to North Korea

Posted on Friday, February 18, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

With poor harvests last year in Russia, Canada, and Ukraine, a recent heat wave in Argentina, and floods in Australia that destroyed much of that nation’s wheat crop, agricultural commodity prices have sharply increased over the past year. The rising … Continue reading →

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Posted in China, Climate Change, Defense, Energy Security, Finance and Economics, International Security, Middle East, Policy, Predictions | Tagged China, Economics, Egypt, Energy security, Jordan, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, South Korea | 4 Comments

Iran: Obama Comes Out Swinging

Posted on Tuesday, February 15, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

Predictably, the Iranian government has called for the deaths of the two protest leaders. 222 members of Iran’s 290-member Parliament signed a statement that accuses the leaders of being “corrupts on earth,” a crime which carries a death sentence. In … Continue reading →

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Posted in Defense, Energy Security, International Security, Middle East | Tagged Egypt, Hillary Clinton, Internet, Iran, President Obama | Leave a comment

Iran: Another Domino Teeters; America Should Shove It Over the Edge

Posted on Monday, February 14, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

On the heels of my recent article on food prices and Middle Eastern stability, events in Iran are coming to a head. Riot police today physically beat protestors in major Iranian cities. The New York Times estimates that 20,000-30,000 demonstrators took … Continue reading →

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Posted in Defense, Energy Security, International Security, Middle East, Policy, Politics, Predictions | Tagged Egypt, Energy security, Iran, Iraq, Oil, Unemployment | 1 Comment

Food Fight: Instability May Beget Instability

Posted on Sunday, February 13, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

In prior articles, I mentioned that one reason Egypt’s revolution happened now rather than in 2003 may have been due to a rapid increase in the price of food. Last week’s edition of The Economist cited a Goldman Sachs report … Continue reading →

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Posted in China, Defense, Energy Security, International Security, Middle East, Policy, Politics, Predictions | Tagged China, Egypt, Energy security, Politics, Saudi Arabia | 1 Comment

Channeling Luxor: Stable Egyptian Transition Not So Simple

Posted on Saturday, February 12, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

On November 17, 1997, jihadists massacred a group of Swiss, British, and Japanese tourists enjoying the majestic sights of ancient Egyptian marvels at Luxor. The terrorists savagely butchered 58 tourists and 4 Egyptians with gunfire and knives. They mutilated many … Continue reading →

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Posted in Defense, Energy Security, International Security, Middle East, Policy, Politics | Tagged Egypt, Energy security, Hezbollah, Iran, Politics | Leave a comment

Weimar Arabism Slouching Towards Islamo-Fascism

Posted on Friday, February 11, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

Today the Egyptian people are dancing in the streets. Tomorrow they may be drowning in blood. Hoping for a smooth transition is just that — hope. And hope is not a method. Every Middle Eastern country that has tried to … Continue reading →

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Posted in Defense, Energy Security, International Security, Middle East, Policy, Politics, Predictions | Tagged Adolf Hitler, Egypt, Energy security, Israel, Oil, Politics, Weimar Republic | Leave a comment

New Deal = No Deal: Framing Energy Policy Matters

Posted on Wednesday, February 9, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

Michael Kanellos at greentechmedia published an article today arguing that the President’s comparison to Sputnik with America’s dependence on fossil fuels is an imperfect one. He later suggests that the New Deal better fits the clean energy narrative. I think … Continue reading →

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Posted in Business, China, Clean Energy, Climate Change, Energy Security, International Security, Policy, Politics | Tagged Apollo Program, Evergreen Solar, Ford, Manhattan Project, Michael Kanellos, Nazis, New Deal, Nissan North America, Socialism, Solyndra, Soviet, Sputnik | Leave a comment

Middle Eastern Instability and the Youth Bulge

Posted on Tuesday, February 8, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

The Economist published an interesting map this week that hints at one of the potential sources of Middle Eastern instability — the demographic imbalances in most Middle Eastern countries. As is evident on the map, over half the population in … Continue reading →

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Posted in Defense, Energy Security, International Security, Middle East, Policy, Politics, Predictions | Tagged Demographics, Energy security, Middle East, Politics, Unemployment | 2 Comments

Of Smart Grids and Cyber Warfare

Posted on Monday, February 7, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

Richard Clarke posted an interesting article today on the potential of cyber warfare to be the next major domain of war, much as sea power was in the 19th century, and air power, in the 20th. The evolution of this … Continue reading →

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Posted in Business, Clean Energy, Defense, Energy Security, International Security, Policy, Predictions, Smart grid | Tagged Central generation, Clean energy, Cyberwar, Distributed generation, Energy security, Richard Clarke, Smart grid | Leave a comment

Felling Pharaohs: Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid (Part V)

Posted on Monday, February 7, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

Parts I through IV of this series show that the Egyptian crisis will have both regional and global consequences for the future of the Arab world and the global energy crisis. Given these stakes, what is America to do? America’s Vital … Continue reading →