Energy and Security: Free 10-Week Online Seminar, Fall 2022
Hosted on Zoom – Register for link
Wednesdays
October 5 – December 7, 2022
11:30am – 1:00pm Eastern Time
Description: This seminar focuses on the relationship between energy and national security. Historical events and case studies are used to demonstrate the dynamics between energy, economics, foreign policy and warfare. Contemporary issues such as energy transition, the future of carbon-based fuels and their environmental effects, grid security and the politics of energy dependency are explored. Through the multi-perspective approach, the seminar aims to provide a thorough understanding of the international energy markets and future of energy security.
More Information:
Participants who attend at least 8 complete seminar sessions will receive a certificate of satisfactory completion from the Dean of The New School for Social Research. In order to obtain the certificate, participants must register and log in with the same email address each week.
Registration will remain open for the duration of the seminar. Registrants will receive a reminder email with the Zoom link each week.
The seminar sessions will be recorded and available to registrants on Vimeo the following week.
Seminar Leaders:
Dr. Mehmet Ari
Mehmet Ari is a post-doctoral research fellow of Political Science and Sociology at Bonn University. He holds a Doctorate of Philosophy (Ph.D), International Relations and Security Studies from Middle East Technical University
Eyyup Celik
Eyyup Celik is a strategic studies analyst at Aerospacelab. He holds Masters of Science’s from Aerospace Engineering-Control and Dynamics, International Security Studies and Security Studies from University of Houston, Turkish Air War College and Georgetown University
Oct 5, 2022 11:30 AM ET
Introduction Geopolitics and Economics of Energy – This class will be an introduction to the role of energy in world geopolitics from a historical perspective. With a particular focus in oil, the class will explore how possessing and accessing oil has carried nations to global stature. The link between the state of superpower rivalry and oil prices/crises during the Cold War will be analyzed. This class will also discuss contemporary effects of fossil fuels, renewables, and electrification in geopolitics.
Steve Le Vine, Ten indicators you should watch to predict the geopolitics of energy.
Oct 12, 2022 11:30 AM ET
Economics of Energy – The second class of this seminar will focus on the major role energy plays in the political economy. Using theory and case studies the class will discuss supply-demand dynamics, oil price estimations, long and short energy cycles, spare capacity and break-even points from the perspectives of major oil and gas importers and exporters.
CSIS, “The Future of Oil Demand: Peak, Plateau, or Plummet?” (Video)
Oct 19, 2022 11:30 AM ET
Breakthroughs or False Hopes: Renewables – The technologies that challenge the dominance of fossil-based energy have geopolitical effects along with environmental. The class will discuss the outlook on various renewables and the effect possible effects the renewables could have in geopolitics.
Jeffrey Ball “Tough Love for Renewable Energy: Making Wind and Solar Power Affordable”
Oct 26, 2022 11:30 AM ET
Oil and Warfare – From British Navy’s switch from coal to oil, to role of natural gas in the recent Ukraine conflict, the energy has been a major part of warfare in the 20th and 21st century. Attack on oilfields in WW2, The Carter Doctrine, introduction of shale gas are just a few examples of how energy has shaped international conflict and geopolitics. This class will focus on the pathways the energy leads to conflict and also intertwined nature of energy, warfare and geopolitics since WW1.
Jeff Colgan “Fueling the Fire: Pathways from Oil to War”
Nov 2, 2022 11:30 AM ET
Age of Electric: Grids, Cyber Attacks and Security of Energy in the New Age – As the concern over environment increase along with battery technology that allowed spread of electric vehicles electric grids become lucrative targets that can cripple mobility and economy. How secure are electric grids? Is the concerns over cyber attacks justified? What are the national security implications and possible solutions? This class will discuss why uninterrupted electric supply is a challenge that national security professionals need to study.
Robert Knake “A Cyber Attack on the U.S. Power Grid”
Nov 9, 2022 11:30 AM ET
From Dr. Strangelove to Fukushima: Nuclear Energy – “Nonproliferation, Iran deal, North Korea, Dual Use, Fukushima” are just some of the expressions that indicates the many facets surrounding the role of nuclear energy in national security. From doomsday scenarios to past accidents to European energy independence, the polarization over use of nuclear energy will be discussed in this class to assess the validity of the arguments for and against “the Nuclear”.
Nicholas Miller, “Why Nuclear Energy Programs Rarely Lead to Proliferation”
Nov 16, 2022 11:30 AM ET
Resource Curse: Why and How? – Why are some nations with large energy resources face problems of governance and security? Under what conditions does the “paradox of plenty” occur? The economic and security implications of resource curse will be discussed with case studies from different regions. The class will also look into successful integration of energy resources into economies.
Michael Ross, “What Have We Learned about the Resource Curse?”
Nov 23, 2022 11:30 AM ET
Environment, Public opinion and Soft Side of Energy Security – Keystone Pipeline protests, BP Spill, Fukushima accident and VW Emission scandal are just some of the examples where public opinion had carried an incident into geopolitical importance. |”How are public opinions on energy issues are formed?” and “How does public opinion interact with national security?” are two topics that will be put under focus in this class.
Rebecca Leppert, “Americans continue to express mixed views about nuclear power”
Steve Le Vine, “Tanking Hard”
Nov 30, 2022 11:30 AM ET
Natural Gas and National Security: Shale revolution to Ukraine – Natural gas has played a major role in Russia-Europe relations. In light of the recent crisis, what is the future of natural gas diplomacy? What does new China-Turkmenistan gas pipeline mean for the energy politics in Eurasia? What are the global implications of the shale revolution in US? These are some of the questions to be answered in this class dedicated to natural gas.
Robert Blackwill and Meghan O’Sullivan “America’s Energy Edge: The Geopolitical Consequences of the Shale Revolution”
Dec 7, 2022 11:30 AM ET
Energy Supply and Geopolitics – This class will provide and in-depth look into the supply side. From OPEC oil embargo in 1970s to recent Saudi maneuvers against US Shale, the supply of energy is a formidable weapon held by the energy producing countries. How does supply wars affect the petro states and their customers? What are the implications oil abundance, scarcity and peak demand theories?
Brian Wingfield et al. “New Decade, New OPEC Oil Curbs. Same Mixed Results”
Gregory Hause, “Sultans of Swing? The Geopolitics of Falling Oil Prices”