Category Archives: Middle East

The Vast Right Wing Conspiracy

I decided to break from tradition and to publish something a little less serious. I put together this little video using a program called xtranormal. It is satire on what many left bloggers write and think about conservatives. Huffington Post … Continue reading

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Posted in Business, Clean Energy, Clean Tech, Climate Change, Energy Security, Finance and Economics, Food Security, Humor, Investing, Media, Middle East, Policy, Politics, Thurston and Talbot, Unions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 22 Comments

Saudis Shrug Off Day of Rage: Three Strategies to Suppress a Revolt Before It Starts

While the world was understandably distracted by Japan’s terrible earthquake and the tsunami in its wake, I have been monitoring one local Saudi woman’s blog to get a sense of how the March 11th Day of Rage progressed in Saudi … Continue reading

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Posted in Clean Energy, Clean Tech, Energy Security, Finance and Economics, International Security, Investing, Middle East, Policy, Politics, Predictions | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Decision Points: Good Read, Bad Style

Source: ©2011 Reflections of a Rational Republican Decision Points is President George W. Bush’s personal account of the most consequential decisions that impacted his controversial presidency. Whether one likes President Bush or detests him, this book is a must read … Continue reading

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Posted in Book Reviews, Business, China, Defense, Energy Security, Finance and Economics, International Security, Media, Middle East, Policy, Politics | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Felling Pharaohs (Part VI): The Beatings Continue Because Morale Has Not Improved

A little over a month ago in the midst of Egyptian unrest, I warned that U.S. policy-makers should “be very afraid” of these developments because of their impact on crude oil prices. Now that Libya is in flames, its oil … Continue reading

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Posted in Clean Energy, Defense, Energy Security, Finance and Economics, International Security, Middle East, Policy, Politics, Predictions | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Architecture of Anarchy

“Civilization and anarchy are only seven meals apart” — Spanish proverb Instability is a positive feedback loop driven by weather, energy and food prices, currency fluctuations, repression, and demography. Adverse weather conditions, in tandem with high energy prices and a … Continue reading

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Posted in Business, Clean Energy, Climate Change, Defense, Energy Security, Finance and Economics, Food Security, International Security, Investing, Middle East, Policy, Politics, Predictions | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

The Great Famine of 2011: Food, Fossil Fuels, and Fragmentation

“Our people take pride in the fact that they are blessed with great leaders from generation to generation” — High-level North Korean official on Kim Jong Un succession Poor Weather Reduces Crop Yields; Reduced Crop Yields Lead to Increased Prices… … Continue reading

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Posted in Business, China, Clean Energy, Climate Change, Defense, Energy Security, Finance and Economics, International Security, Investing, Middle East, Policy, Politics, Predictions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Storms Scare Saudis

Earlier this month, I warned that the Egyptian revolution would have broader implications far beyond Egypt’s borders. I said the most dangerous consequence of this revolt would be the spread of this revolution to other Arab countries like Saudi Arabia, … Continue reading

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Posted in Defense, Energy Security, Finance and Economics, International Security, Investing, Middle East, Policy, Politics, Predictions | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Climate Chain Reaction: From Egypt to North Korea

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 , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Iran: Obama Comes Out Swinging

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 , , , , | Leave a comment

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

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 , , , , , | 1 Comment