Iran and the Straits of Hormuz and Bab el Mandeb

 The Emirates Policy Center published on 2 October 2026 an analysis titled "Iran and the 'Straits Game' in Hormuz and Bab El-Mandeb: Calculating the Impact and Consequences" by Mohammad Alzghool.  

The author concluded that Iran's strategy relies on the assumption that rising energy prices, market uncertainty and public pressure will increase the political costs borne by its adversaries.  In contrast, the United States and the Gulf countries are investing in alternative oil-export routes while preparing for countermeasures, including a potential counter blockade and military action aimed at neutralizing threats.

Malaysian Oil Company Pulls Out of South Sudan

 S & P Global published on 20 August 2024 an article titled "South Sudan's State-owned Nilepet to Take Over Petronas Oil Fields."

South Sudan's state-owned oil company is set to assume ownership of Malaysian oil company Petronas' assets in the country.  Petronas withdrew from South Sudan earlier this month because of ongoing conflict in neighboring Sudan, an inability to ensure staff safety, and mounting operational costs.  

Franco-Chinese East African Oil Pipeline under Environmentalist Attack

 The New York Times published on 8 April 2022 a commentary titled "This 900-Mile Crude Oil Pipeline Is a Bad Deal for My Country--and the World" by Vanessa Nakate, Ugandan climate justice activist.

The author offers the environmental arguments against the 900-mile East African Crude Oil Pipeline to be built by French and Chinese companies from Kabaale, Uganda to Tanga, Tanzania on the Indian Ocean coast.  Instead, the author argues that East Africans should focus on renewable energy.  

What Happened to East Africa's Oil Boom?

African Arguments published on 23 August 2017 a commentary titled "Whatever Happened to East Africa's Oil Boom?" by Luke Patey, Danish Institute for International Studies.

The author explains that domestic and regional politics continue to contribute to delays in the development of oil reserves in Uganda, Kenya, and South Sudan. This situation is likely to continue.

China's Loan for Oil Deals

Energy Research & Social Science published on 11 January 2017 an analysis titled "Financial and Energy Security Analysis of China's Loan-for-oil Deals" by Eugene Gholz, University of Texas, Umul Awan, World Bank, and Ehud Ronn, University of Texas. The full article can only be accessed by purchase or through a library subscription.

The authors discuss the "loan-for-oil" agreements in which Chinese state development banks lend billions of dollars to oil-producing countries at below-market rates in exchange for the producers' agreements to sell oil to Chinese oil companies at future market prices rather than at a fixed price. They conclude that only a few of the projects connected to loan-for-oil deals could ameliorate China's fear of future political-military supply interruptions. Among the deals looked at are those in Angola, Equatorial Guinea, and Ghana.

China and the Two Sudans

The lead story on al-Jazeera's 5 May 2012 Counting the Cost English-language television program was about China and the two Sudans. It includes my five-minute interview about four minutes into the program. The focus of the interview was the challenging diplomacy that China faces in preserving its interests in both Sudan and South Sudan.

Click here to view the program.