Category Archives: Politics

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

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

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 Day of Rage, Oil, Saudi Arabia | 4 Comments

Smart Money Sells U.S. Treasuries

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

One of the world’s largest and most respected bond funds announced Wednesday it had reduced its exposure to U.S. government securities to zero in light of rising yields, which are inversely related to a bond’s value. Given the right’s refusal … Continue reading →

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Posted in Business, Finance and Economics, Investing, Policy, Politics | Tagged Bill Gross, Dollar, Federal Reserve, PIMCO, U.S. Treasuries | 3 Comments

No Representation With Misrepresentation

Posted on Thursday, March 10, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

In recent years both the right and the left have engaged in petty “gotcha” politics in which political operatives deliberately misrepresent themselves and goad their political opponents into making damaging statements that help these operatives score petty political victories. While … Continue reading →

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Posted in Media, Politics | Tagged Ian Murphy, James O'Keefe, Koch, NPR, Ronald Schiller, Vivian Schiller | 8 Comments

Decision Points: Good Read, Bad Style

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

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 Book Reviews, George W. Bush, Katrina, Saudi Arabia | 2 Comments

Debunking Peak Phosphorus

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

U.S. Rock Phosphate Production vs. Price, Source: Adapted from USGS data The media’s fascination with the prospect of peak oil has spread to another commodity — phosphorus. In Julian Cribb’s 2010 book, The Coming Famine: The Global Food Crisis and … Continue reading →

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Posted in Clean Energy, Clean Tech, Climate Change, Energy Security, Finance and Economics, Food Security, International Security, Media, Policy, Politics, Predictions | Tagged Famine, Food, Peak Phosphorus, Phosphorus | 31 Comments

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

Posted on Sunday, March 6, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

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 Egypt, Libya, Oil, Saudi Arabia, Shia | 2 Comments

North Korea: Linking Fuel to Famine

Posted on Tuesday, March 1, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

I recently came across a book called Eating Fossil Fuels: Oil, Food and the Coming Crisis in Agriculture by Dale Allen Pfeiffer. In his book, Pfeiffer uses the North Korean famine in the mid-nineties as a cautionary tale about what … Continue reading →

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Posted in Climate Change, Energy Security, Finance and Economics, Food Security, International Security, Policy, Politics, Predictions | Tagged Agriculture, Famine, Food, Fossil fuels, North Korea, Soviet Union | 9 Comments

Channeling Chris Christie: How to Handle Public Unions

Posted on Sunday, February 27, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

“If what you want to do is put on a show and giggle every time I talk, then I have no interest in answering your question.” — Governor Chris Christie New Jersey Governor Christie lays out his case against public-sector-union … Continue reading →

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Posted in Healthcare, Policy, Politics, Unions | Tagged Education, Governor Christie, New Jersey, Politics, Unions | 2 Comments

Petroleum Prices and Peak Oil: Edging Towards a New Normal

Posted on Saturday, February 26, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

“The beatings will continue until morale improves.” — Unknown Today I filled up my fuel-efficient Toyota with 11.24 gallons of fuel at $3.80 a gallon. And it’s only February. I shudder to imagine what prices will be by the time … Continue reading →

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Posted in Business, Clean Energy, Energy Security, Finance and Economics, International Security, Investing, Policy, Politics, Predictions | Tagged ANWR, Oil, Peak oil, Toyota | 10 Comments

Tortoises Trounce Solar Thermal!

Posted on Thursday, February 24, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

Normally, I reserve this blog for more serious topics where there is an intersection among clean energy, national security, and politics. Oh wait, this post covers all three! Only, it’s not so serious. The New York Times published a story … Continue reading →