One of President Biden's most ambitious campaign promises is centered around American energy policy. Biden has vowed to shift away from a traditional focus in oil toward investments in renewable energy sources. Meanwhile, the oil industry in the Middle East is already facing severe repercussions from the coronavirus pandemic. States like Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Lebanon are struggling to replace oil revenue, cutting social benefits and worsening social unrest in the process. Oil has been the economic backbone on which the U.S. and nations in the Middle East have built diplomatic relationships and maintained mutual security interests. How will these crucial bonds be affected by a greener Biden presidency?
Please join us and a panel of experts in discussing the future of American oil policy in the Middle East under a Biden administration.
This webinar will be the first annual Herman Franssen memorial lecture, created to honor the MEI economist and scholar who passed away in 2020. Dr. Franssen's work centered around oil and energy; he served as the executive director of the Energy Intelligence Group, and was a senior economic advisor to the Minister of Petroleum and Minerals of the Sultanate of Oman. He also helped establish the group of non-OPEC oil exporting nations and was known for his passion for global energy issues.
Photo by Getty Images via Gallo Images/Orbital Horizon
Speakers:
Ruba Husari
Founder & managing director, OZME Consultants; non-resident scholar, MEI
Samantha Gross
Fellow and director of the Energy Security & Climate Initiative, Brookings Institute
Jean-Francois Seznec
Non-resident scholar, MEI
Amb. (ret.) Gerald Feierstein (moderator)
Senior vice president, MEI