Category Archives: Predictions

The Next Real Estate Bubble? Food Price Inflation Strikes in the Midwest

Posted on Thursday, March 3, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

Today, The New York Times published an article on a potential real estate bubble in the Midwest. This seems to be yet another effect that high oil prices are having on the economy. As I have frequently argued in previous posts, persistenty high … Continue reading →

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Posted in Business, Climate Change, Food Security, Predictions | Tagged Economics, Food, Oil | Leave a comment

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

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

Architecture of Anarchy

Posted on Wednesday, February 23, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

“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 Clean energy, Economics, Energy security, Food, Fuel, Investing, Oil, Politics | 7 Comments

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

Posted on Tuesday, February 22, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

“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 China, CIA, Clean energy, Economics, Egypt, North Korea, Oil, Politics, Saudi Arabia, South Korea | 4 Comments

Storms Scare Saudis

Posted on Saturday, February 19, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

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 Bahrain, Egypt, Energy security, Investing, Jordan, Oil, Politics, Saudi Arabia, Yemen | Leave a comment

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: 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

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 →