Energy World
Intensifying political, economic, and technological competition are colliding with an evolving global energy system shaped by emerging technologies and efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to slow climate change. At the same time, soaring domestic oil and natural gas production, booming AI-driven electricity consumption, tensions in other energy-producing regions, and demand for critical minerals and other energy-related commodities are powerfully affecting American national security, U.S. competitiveness, relations with key allies, and global energy markets. Energy World covers the implications of these developments in one of the most strategic—and most complex—economic sectors.
The Center for the National Interest gratefully acknowledges support from Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power for The National Interest’s Energy World blog. The National Interest’s editors retain sole control over Energy World’s content.
Trump’s “Energy Dominance,” in Practice, is Self-Contradictory
Energy dominance, though a laudable goal, is problematic at a time when OPEC+ seems to be trying to shoehorn its own volumes into the market. These are not good times...
Stories from Energy World
Digital Dams: How U.S.-Brazil AI Cooperation Could Help America’s AI Ambitions Flow
U.S.-Brazil AI cooperation could unlock sustainable infrastructure for data centers at a time when America’s energy constraints threaten its tech ambitions. The United States’ strategic imperative to excel in artificial...
Solar Energy’s Unstoppable Ascendancy: The Role of Battery Storage in Growth
Solar energy’s unstoppable ascendancy, largely caused by costs continuing to fall and deployment accelerating, is no longer a matter of if—it is a matter of how fast. The global energy...
Harnessing Nature’s Breath: The (Offshore) Wind Industry That Drives Green Power Forward
The offshore wind industry has been shaken up due to a pause on new leasing and permitting for new projects, but a significant amount of generating capacity remains in the...
PODCAST—Shock Waves: How Trump’s Tariffs Are Transforming the Energy Landscape
President Trump’s new tariffs are shaking global energy markets, driving down oil and gas prices, slowing clean energy projects, and raising questions about global economic stability. Trump’s Tariffs and Energy...
OPEC+ Rips Off the Band-Aid
By ripping off the band-aid, the Saudis seem to have accepted that letting prices weaken for a period of time is a necessary part of regaining their lost market share....
Modernize, Compete, Win: Upgrading America’s Energy Finance Strategy
By upgrading its energy finance strategy through smart reforms and strategic investment, the United States can cement its role as the go-to energy partner for the future.
What Could a “Nuclear Revolution” Really Look Like?
The nuclear revolution the United States needs will require breaking free from outdated regulations and empowering market-driven innovation to lead the energy future. When I began working on energy policy...
Advanced Nuclear Energy Could be the Next Frontier for U.S. States
U.S. states are leading a new wave of investment in advanced nuclear energy, aiming to boost energy security, support industrial growth, and revitalize local economies. Over the last few years,...
In the Line of Fire: The IEA Is Right Where It Should Be
The IEA is right where it should be, and as a result, the agency may just have to take some bullets to do its duty of informing policy makers. Conservative...
The Demise of the “Energy Transition”
The demise of the “energy transition” does not mitigate the fact that there is a strong need to develop adaptions to the reality of a warming planet. It has been...
Trump’s Foreign Energy Policy is a Winning Formula
Trump’s foreign energy policy has the potential to be the foreign policy hallmark of President Trump, if utilized correctly. The president’s National Energy Council, tasked with formulating energy strategy, is...
Maximum Pressure on Rwanda Represents a Strategic Critical Minerals Opportunity for the United States
The United States can secure access to the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s strategic critical minerals by enacting a maximum pressure strategy to confront Rwanda’s support for M23, helping to...