The Geo-Politics of Energy Security: China, India, & Indonesia [video]

Abstract

Since the beginning of the “Industrial Age” access to energy resources have become ever more critical to the social and economic viability of nation states. Just as access to food, clean water, and shelter are essential to human survival, access to fuels for producing power are essential to a nation’s viability and a government’s ability to ensure that access is fundamental to its legitimacy. Most population centers and nations formed well before the industrial age and many are not geographically correlated with energy resources. Obtaining and maintaining access to sufficient and affordable energy has become one of, if not the principle drivers, in geo-politics as countries struggle to ensure “Energy Security”. This talk explores the history of nation level energy security, assesses the current state of affairs from a global perspective, and postulates what the next few decades might look like based on current macro-trends in energy resource development and consumption.