The New Energy Geopolitics, with Meghan O'Sullivan of Harvard University
WASHINGTON, DC—Today, Resources for the Future released a new installment of Resources Radio, a weekly podcast series exploring timely environmental, energy, and natural resources topics.
In today's podcast, host Daniel Raimi interviews Meghan O’Sullivan, the Jeane Kirkpatrick Professor of the Practice of International Affairs at the Harvard Kennedy School and author of Windfall: How the New Energy Abundance Upends Global Politics and Strengthens America's Power. O’Sullivan explores the impact that global energy markets have on international relations, and discusses how a recent increase in US oil and gas production can affect strategic decisions around the world.
Notable quotes from the podcast:
- “That kind of energy independence is really not a sensible pursuit for the US…the kind of energy independence I like to think about is one that just leaves us independent from having energy dominate our foreign policy.”—Meghan O’Sullivan (8:42)
- “As long as we’re connected to global markets—as we are today, even more so than ever—changes in Saudi Arabia or Iran or Iraq are going to affect global prices, and that will affect the price that American consumers pay at the pump.”—Meghan O’Sullivan (11:24)
- “Essentially the [energy] boom in the US…has made it more difficult for OPEC to influence oil markets in the ways that it used to.”—Meghan O’Sullivan (24:07)
Resources Radio can be found on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, and SoundCloud.
Resources for the Future (RFF) is an independent, nonprofit research institution in Washington, DC. Its mission is to improve environmental, energy, and natural resource decisions through impartial economic research and policy engagement. RFF is committed to being the most widely trusted source of research insights and policy solutions leading to a healthy environment and a thriving economy.
Unless otherwise stated, the views expressed here are those of the individual authors and may differ from those of other RFF experts, its officers, or its directors. RFF does not take positions on specific legislative proposals.
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