Over the Period 2004-2008 contributors Jennifer Giroux and Carolin Hilpert maintain that, in addition to accelerating global demand for oil, there was a direct correlation between EI attacks and increasing global energy prices driven by traders and speculators who viewed EI targeting as a threat to supply and, perhaps, an exploitable opportunity to inflate prices. Price volatility has also been accelerated by fundamental changes in the structure of oil markets and a weakening in regulatory oversight these markets once received.

Bruce Averill, former Senior Coordinator for Critical Energy Infrastructure Protection Policy at the U.S. Department of State, says there is a disconnect between the industrial security function and the challenges faced by governments in protecting their critical industries from energy terrorism. Bridging this gap requires closer public-private partnerships in improving security at overseas energy facilities.

The threat of a "digital Pearl Harbor" is on our door-step according to European security and defense research carried out by the Center for European Security Strategies (CESS) in Munich and Berlin. In a sobering analysis by Drs. Nerlich and Umbach, this first glimpse into the "Octavio-Project", a research project executed for the European Commission, demonstrates in particular the vulnerabilities that Europe's gas supply system and control centers may confront from cyber-attack.

This November marks the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall. It defines the fundamental success of NATO’s enduring purpose to safeguard the freedom and security of all its members by political and military means. To paraphrase a statement by US President Obama, now is not the time to pat ourselves on the back but now is the time to get down to the work at hand.

Securing the electricity grid is easier said than done. With the development of the Smart Grid (the good), come new systemic vulnerabilities (the bad). David Baker, an expert with IOActive, analyzes whether “early-to-market” technologies such as Smart Meters are up to the potential challenges posed by cyber-attacks and discusses what can be done by government, utilities and Smart Meter vendors to better ensure the security and resiliency of the Smart Grid.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are boldly moving forward in shoring up energy and power security through the creation of the Trans-ASEAN Energy Network.  However in doing so they run the risk of creating new vulnerabilities from network linked cascading failures caused by nature or man.  What can or should ASEAN member states do in shoring up their own critical energy infrastructure against persistent threats spread across the region?

Since 2002 the US Department of Energy has signaled that over time Russia would supplant natural gas power generation with coal in order to free up natural gas for export.  In 2006 then President Putin underscored this in his annual address to the nation’s lawmakers by challenging the country to add new coal and nuclear fired generating capacity to the nation’s power arsenal.  Concurrent with these developments have been decades of growing dependency on Russian natural gas by the European Union.  Are there links between these developments and can we even begin to imagine what would be the environmental impact of a coal fired Russia?

Over the past 150 years oil has transformed modern society.  At the same time it has been the subject of war and conflict, piracy and theft, wealth and prosperity.   It has an unprecedented impact on nations’ foreign policies and the willingness and ability of many oil producing nations to skew domestic policies in their own political favor.  To obviate growing oil dependency on a handful of nations the transportation sector requires transformation.  When and how this occurs is among this century’s greatest challenges.