...Lukáš Tichý This essay focuses on the global terrorist and militant group the Islamic State (IS), specifically on its use of terrorism targeting the energy sector as a strategic political instrument in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) in 2014–16. The essay has two main thrusts. First...

...-thirsty India) vie for partnerships with the energy-rich former Soviet republics. Russia lays special claim to what it sees as its “near abroad” (notably, the Caucasus and Central Asia), and its leaders strive to limit US influence over the energy resources of the CSB. China, a global economic power still...

... competes against a European Union project, while Washington has shown little interest in the Balkans during the Barack Obama administration. The instruments of this rivalry are not only, or even primarily, armies but rather economic-political forces: control of energy pipelines and production, the use...

..., should not be seen as a turning point in the relations between Washington and Tehran. Iran has remained under severe US sanctions. In November 2016, with an overwhelming majority, Con- gress passed a resolution to renew the sanctions on trade, energy, security, and banking sectors for another ten...

..., such as the shift of global power to the Pacific, the revival of the US economy, and security challenges such as energy security and cyber defense. Magnus Nordenman is managing editor of the Mediterranean Quarterly and deputy director of the Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security at the Atlantic...

... the cold war era of the Middle East to an end], Dunya, 5 February 2012, www.dunya.com/ortadoguda-­soguk -savas-­ donemini-­ sona-­ erdirmek-­ istiyoruz-­ 145152h.htm.­ 34. Calculated by the author using data from British Petroleum, BP Statistical Review of World Energy (London: BP, 2014). 35...

... partner for Israel national security. The deli- cate Israeli balance is obvious in the February 2012 military agreement allowing Israel to use the airspace and territorial waters around the eastern Mediterranean island to protect vital energy resources, allowing the Israeli air force and navy...

... Tehran and Ankara can contribute to Europe's energy security. Gawdat Bahgat is professor of national security at the Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies, National Defense University, Washington, DC. His areas of expertise include the Middle East, energy security, and US foreign policy...

... and for uniting forces on cli- mate change. At the recent EU-US summit, on 3 November 2009, leaders decided to establish a “Ministerial-level EU-US Energy Council that will improve energy security and contribute to achieving our ambitious climate change goals.” Cyber security, antimicrobial resistance...

... isolation and Rus- sia’s dominance of energy pipelines from Central Asia places Turkey in the middle of the energy game, because Turkey became the preferred energy gate for European and especially American interests. After 11 September 2001, Turkey used its geopolitical location in the east- ern...

... of the Levant Basin Province, Eastern Mediterranean,” Washington, DC, USGS, March 2010, pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2010/3014/pdf/FS10-­3014.pdf. 3. US Energy Information Agency (USEIA), “US Proved Reserves Increased Sharply in 2010,” Washington, DC, USEIA, 2 August 2012, www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.cfm?id=7370...

... by increased energy consumption, necessitating a constant search for new sources. China’s annual total energy consumption 2. Chietigj Bajpaee, “Sino-US Energy Competition in Africa,” Power and Interest News Report (PINR), 7 October 2005, 2, www.pinr.com/report.php?ac=view_report&report_id=378...

... Africa and Europe: Energy Partnership,” OPEC Energy Review 33, no. 3 (2009): 155 – 69. 3. British Petroleum (BP), BP Statistical Review of World Energy (London: BP, 2011), 8. 4. US Energy Information Administration (USEIA), “Country Analysis Briefs: Egypt,” www.eia.gov /countries/country-­data.cfm...

.... But a close look reveals that the EU-US differences stem from America’s grand strategy to maintain primacy in world politics, predicated on control of energy sources in the Middle East and Central Asia. Essential to this design is a friendly, politically weak, and agreeable Eurasia. While some...

... and natural gas. To ensure this, asserts Fouskas, “the US has tried to control the production and transportation of oil and gas from Central Asia to the Balkans, and from there, to Western markets.” This strategy not only ensures command of energy-rich Central Asia but enhances Washing- ton’s ability...

... is access to secure sources of energy in the form of oil and natural gas. To ensure this, asserts Fouskas, “the US has tried to control the production and transportation of oil and gas from Central Asia to the Balkans, and from there, to Western markets.” This strategy not only ensures command...

... (Beijing: Social Sciences Academic Press, 2014), 6 – 10; British Petroleum, “Energy Outlook to 2035,” 15 January 2014, www.bp.com/en/global/corporate/about-­bp/energy-­economics/energy-­outlook/outlook-­to-­2035 .html. 10. On China’s reliance on the Persian Gulf, see US Energy Information...

... 5 / i s - ­t h e - ­n a b u c c o - ­p i p e l i n e - ­w o r t h - ­t h e - ­c o s t . h t m l . 13. Joshua Kucera, “Caspian Basin: Russia and Turkey Raise Obstacles for US Energy Policy,” Eurasia Insight, 28 January 2009, www.eurasianet.org/departments/insightb/articles/eav012809 .shtml. 14...

... will depend on imports by 2030 and 800 million tons of oil will be depleted annually by then. Furthermore, statistics from the US Energy Information Administration show that China will surpass the US as the largest net oil importer in 2014.7 While China is increasingly con- cerned about its energy...

... is the concomitant field development 10. US Department of Energy (DOE), U.S. Crude Oil and Natural Gas Proved Reserves (Washing- ton, DC: DOE Energy Information Administration, 2014), www.eia.gov/naturalgas/crudeoilreserves /archive/2014/index.cfm. 11. The “train” in export LNG facilities is the tank...