On 1 July the European ban on imports of Iranian crude took hold, complementing UN sanctions that have long been in effect to curb Iran’s overt and clandestine nuclear activities.  In a world that has a growing distaste for armed intervention, there is a rising tide in the use of economic sanctions to curb unwelcome behaviors by rogue states.  But how effective are the imposition of economic sanctions and in the case of  Iran what are the prospects that economic sanctions can curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions?         

A little over one year after gaining independence, South Sudan finds itself in a grinding war with its northern neighbor with oil at the heart of the conflict.  Sudanese expert Jill Shankleman traces the development of this conflict back well before oil was a critical part of this equation.  With the world wrapped in recession there is a real fear that Sudan’s modest oil wealth, and the potential it holds for the development of both North and South Sudan, will disappear from the international community’s radar screen leaving the populations of both states wrapped in conflict and misery for the foreseeable future.

Over time, the French Republic has notably inspired and given birth to countless artists, writers, and philosophers in grasping at the deep and important currents that run through life.  The remarkable engineering of its most notable landmark, the Tour Eiffel, the Paris underground one of the world’s oldest and most comprehensive urban people-movers, and no-less of an achievement its post-WW II nuclear power industry, which promised and delivered reliable electricity to even the smallest of French hamlets.  This may now be in jeopardy if the new French President has his way.  Electioneering aside, the new government must consider the intended and unintended impact of reducing nuclear power to 50% of the country’s energy mix.  Shall France remain a shining ‘light of the world’ providing inspiration to other countries in how to safely and reliably provide energy to their people or will it step back into the shadows and do the atypical French-thing by abdicating its independence to a herd-mentality in a post-Fukushima era? 

Threats to energy security are multiple, and when successful, can be spectacularly destructive.  A team of researchers at Zurich’s Center for Security Studies and from the Paul Scherrer Institute have undertaken the gargantuan task of first coding and then deconstructing multiple attacks against energy infrastructure (EI) for understanding better their nature and complexity.  In the Fall of 2012, these groups will roll-out the Energy Infrastructure Database (EIAD) as an open source database designed to aid industry, government, and researchers around the world in mitigating the probability that future EI attacks (regardless of motivation) will be successful.  

For the second year in a row, the Journal of Energy Security is seeking expressions of interest from energy scholars, policy makers, and practitioners to contribute to a special edition of the JES scheduled for publication in October 2012.  The focus of this issue will be on Asian energy security.  Organized to coincide with the Singapore International Energy Week, article contributions may cover a wide variety of energy security challenges facing Asian nations including alternative fuels particularly with application in the transportation sector, national energy policy reviews and recommendations, the geopolitics of energy across the region, the confluence of water and energy issues to the future of nuclear and other power generating technologies in Asian nations.

Potential contributors show review the guidelines for submissions to the JES and submit a short (4-5 sentence) abstract by 7 September 2012.  Selection of contributors and issue-contributions will be made on a first-come first-served basis in order to avoid duplication and over-lap of selected issues.  It is important that potential contributors familiarize themselves with the JES’ style and approach in preparing their submitted abstracts and ultimately their contributions.  Please send article abstracts and queries to editor@iags.org. 

India’s northern state blackout has spread from affecting the region's 360 million now to over 600 million people or nearly twice the population of the United States.  These power outages are a testament as to why the “I” in BRIC needs a reliable supply of electricity above all else.  Northern India has faced power outages this summer due to among other reasons, a lack of fuel for power generation.  Others point to some Indian states drawing off more power than allocated and others point to the confluence of summer heat, agricultural irrigation that draws on huge amounts of power, and India's burgeoning population and the demands that put on the grid.  .   

 

In the short term, this has everything to do with keeping the lights on.  In the longer term, the electricity-fuel issue has everything to do with the economic development and security of the Indian state and its people.  While the specific causes behind the ongoing blackouts may not be identified for sometime many remain in the dark. In fueling its future, India is looking at neighboring Myanmar as one source for ensuring the lights don’t go out again. Journal of Energy Security (JES) contributor Varigonda Kesava Chandra in Singapore has been working on an extensive piece on India’s electricity sector and the fuel challenges to powering its grid. To see the full copy of this analysis which will be published in the July 2012 edition of the JES click here.

In the April issue of the JES Chandra contributed an article on the problems India has had in building gas pipelines to feed its growing economy. 

 

India’s northern state blackout affecting 360 million people is a testament as to why the “I” in BRIC needs a reliable supply of electricity above all else.  Northern India has faced power outages this summer due to, among other reasons, a lack of fuel for power generation.  In the short term, this has everything to do with keeping the lights on.  In the longer term, the electricity-fuel issue has everything to do with the economic development of the Indian state and its people.  In fueling its future, India is looking at neighboring Myanmar as one source for ensuring the lights don’t go out again.