October 2016 (Vol. 5, Iss. 1)

International programs

Contents:

  • Olga Gerasimchuk, who is currently pursuing her PhD in Economics at the National Institute of Oriental Languages and Civilizations (INALCO) at Paris, focussed on Russia's natural gas export policy in Asia Pacific in the 1990ies. This article discusses Russian attempts throughout the 1990ies to involve Asia Pacific countries in close gas cooperation, with a particular emphasis on the Kovykta project development, and the construction of a long-distance natural gas pipeline connecting Russia, China, and South Korea.
  • Zachary Waller, ENERPO graduate and former ENERPO Journal Assistant Editor, looks at the perspectives of Iran's oil industry. Since the lifting of sanctions in 2015, Iran has been working to re-enter the global economy. This paper takes a long-term view of the sanctions, asking what has historically motivated the West to take such coercive — or even punitive — action. Zachary concludes optimistically, arguing that production is on the upswing and European banks have incentives to support Iranian oil growth.
  • Michael Roh, our current Assistant Editor, has written a piece on Emisshion Trading Schemes. Emissions trading schemes, or cap-and-trade, work by quantifying the CO2 itself into permits, and then setting a limit, or cap, on emissions by reducing the amount of permits over time. The permits are tradable, allowing for supply and demand forces to create a market. As the Paris Agreement is entering into force, regions and countries have already implemented cap-and-trade or are in their planning phases. This paper provides a short history of cap-and-trade, and an overview of noteworthy emissions trading schemes. Though cap-and-trade is not without its flaws, Michael concludes that it can still be effective, and why it is superior to alternative options like a carbon tax.
  • Henrik Vorloeper wrote an article devoted to Nord Stream 2, where he presents an assessment of the political and economic arguments against Europe’s current largest natural gas infrastructure project. The case of Nord Stream 2 is almost symbolic on how deep the dispute across the continent regarding gas supply security has become. Nord Stream, next to the Greek bailout, the refugee crisis and ‘Brexit’, could become another step towards EU disintegration. The aim of this article is to overview the European dispute around Nord Stream 2 based on the five most articulate arguments against this project.

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