Resource Politics

Every few months, Europe sends satellites into space from one of the poorest corners of the French Republic.   The rockets rise from Kourou, in French Guiana, a small territory on South America’s northern coast that France once used as a prison colony and now uses as a key space launch site. The business brings in money and strategic power, not for locals, but for Paris.   Outside the shiny, high-tech spaceport, life looks ver...

Malaysia and Russia have announced a long-term energy supply agreement to secure a stable flow of oil and natural gas to Malaysia. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced the arrangement at the ASEAN-Russia Commemorative Summit in Kazan, Russia on June 18, 2026.   The agreement marks a shift from short-term annual and seasonal contracts toward multi-year commitments designed to improve supply stability. The move is expected to str...

The India-Oman Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) entered into force on June 1, 2026, at a moment of growing instability in West Asia. As the US-Israel-Iran war disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, India suddenly found itself confronting the issue of how to secure trade routes in an increasingly uncertain world.   New Delhi has presented the CEPA deal as a strategic breakthrough and the answer to the trade rout...

For decades, experts have warned that Central Asia could face conflicts over water in the future. The region depends heavily on two major rivers, the Amu Darya and Syr Darya, which support agriculture, energy production, and the livelihoods of millions of people. As climate change accelerates and water supplies become less predictable, concerns about regional stability are growing.   Yet despite recurring shortages and political tensions, ...

Africa's energy ambitions are evolving. For decades, many African countries exported crude oil while importing refined fuels, leaving them vulnerable to global supply disruptions, price volatility, and foreign refining capacity. Today, governments and investors are increasingly trying to change that model.   New refinery projects across the continent—including proposals linked to Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote—reflect a bro...