Geopolitics of Energy discussed as part of International Program Series

The Peters Township Public Library welcomes former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asia James C. Clad to discuss “The Geopolitics Of Energy” on Wednesday, June 26, 2013 at 7:00 p.m. at the library. This program is offered in partnership with the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh’s International Program Series. Register to attend online, at the library’s circulation desk, or call 724.941.9430.

Since the industrial revolution, the geopolitics of energy have been a key factor in global prosperity and security. Each shift in global energy patterns has ushered in changes in international politics. With the ever-growing global thirst for energy, the nexus between international security, politics, and energy is as important as ever.

Transportation systems – particularly in the United States – have become largely reliant on oil, so disruption of oil markets can bring a great power to a standstill. Access to energy is critical to sustaining growth in emerging economies such as China and India – not only to lift millions out of poverty, but to keep pace with burgeoning populations. Failure to deliver on the hope of greater prosperity could unravel even authoritarian regimes, and even more so democratic ones, as populations become more educated and demanding.

How do countries shape their grand strategies to meet their energy needs? What are the consequences of a shift away from petroleum-based energy markets? And, will a new energy order alter global politics in fundamental ways? Managing the transition to a new energy future will be one of the greatest challenges that the global community will face in the coming decades.

James C. Clad serves as a consultant to energy and investment firms and is the Distinguished Research Fellow at the National Defense University where he mentors defense and security officials from the Maghreb, the Near East, Turkey, the Gulf, and South Asia. From 2007 to 2009, he served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Clad was Senior Counselor/Director for Middle Eastern Affairs for the Overseas Private Investment Corporation and, before that, served as Senior Counselor for Policy and Donor Coordination at the U.S. Agency for International Development. Before entering the U.S. government in 2002, Mr. Clad held the Henry Luce Foundation Professorship in South and Southeast Asian Studies at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and, concurrently, was Director for Asia-Pacific Energy for Cambridge Energy Research Associates. Mr. Clad’s career has concentrated on Asian risk issues, cross-border energy and infrastructure projects, U.S. national security challenges in Asia and — after 2002 — on working with business families in the Middle East.

McMurray Veterans of Foreign Wars POST 764 generously provides support for the International Program Series hosted by Peters Township Public Library in partnership with the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh.