Robert Berke is an energy financial analyst with experience as a government consultant to the State of Alaska.
Trade wars and sanctions are economic weapons against rival regimes, and like actual military warfare, often lead to unanticipated and sometimes devastating blowback from the…
The Trump Administration trade policy is nowhere so clear as in the energy area. For years it was thought that the younger Bush Administration was…
“With Tillerson's confirmation, Exxon just annexed the United States,” --anonymous blogger. To many observers, the appointment of Tillerson to the helm the State Dept signaled…
It’s now clear to nearly everyone that U.S. President Trump intends to seek warmer U.S. relations with Russia, while putting China and Iran relations in…
In a sensational report last week, Russia announced a block-buster deal, the long planned privatization sale of nearly 20 percent of government held shares in…
One week before the U.S./Russian truce agreement in Syria, the Washington Post headlined an article with, “Whether or not the Syrian cease-fire sticks, Putin Wins.”…
Note: Robert Berke has written 3 articles on the Silk Road project in the past, you can find them here: In Part 1 of “The…
As reported around the world, Russia’s decision to greatly reduce its military presence in Syria, coming as it did with little warning, has left the…
The Paris tragedy clearly showed the world that the war on terror has gone global. If that had not already been made clear by terror…
Few meetings ever started with dimmer prospects for success than the recent meeting between Presidents Obama and Putin. The real call for the meeting stemmed…
One month after the Iran nuclear deal was concluded, the Middle East is still reeling from profound shock. Long and well established alliances have led…
Recently, I wrote on these pages that a remarkable turnaround was taking place in the President’s fortunes. It’s an impressive display of rising from the…
“I will teach you my townspeople how to perform a funeral for you have it over a troop of artists— unless one should scour the…
In a previous article on Oilprice, I questioned whether western sanctions imposed on Russia were being regularly breached by E.U. and Asian companies, noting that…
The news from the recent St. Petersburg Economic Forum, which took place from June 18 to 20, inspired a torrent of speculation on the future…
Part 3: Challenges, Rivalries, Prospects for Success, and Investment Implications. Note:In Part 1 of “The New Silk Road,” we examined the China’s plan for rebuilding…
Part 2: Cold War or Competition on the New Silk Road. Note:In Part 1 of “The New Silk Road,” we examined the China’s plan for…
Part 1: The New Silk Road Beginning with the marvelous tales of Marco Polo’s travels across Eurasia to China, the Silk Road has never ceased…
The Propaganda War Over Ukraine There’s an intense propaganda war raging now over Ukraine. The old saying applies: "Truth is the first casualty of war."…
If you listen to the arguments for and against the Keystone Pipeline, you’re likely to come away thinking that either this pipeline is America’s greatest…