Simon Pirani

How oil is destabilising Iraq

2011-09-09T09:01:00.002+01:00

"Oil looks set to be a destabilising influence on Iraq's future", Greg Muttitt's recent book Fuel on the Fire, about Iraqi oil policy since 2003, concludes soberly. See my review published in International Affairs here and more on Muttitt's high-quality research here.

Russo-Ukrainian tensions rise over gas contracts

2011-09-09T08:55:00.002+01:00

The war of words between Moscow and Kyiv over gas prices has intensified again, and they could remain at loggerheads throughout the winter. The dispute could even hasten measures in Ukraine to diversify supply and improve energy efficiency. Read more here.

My favourite books on Putin's Russia ...

2011-09-04T10:19:00.004+01:00

... are a Berezovsky biog, a collection on oil and gas economics, a classic on car workers and their unions, a world-systems-theory take on the Caucasian intelligentsia, and a war memoir. That's what I told the nice people from The Browser who called up and interviewed me - see here.

How the FSU's energy saving potential might be realised

2011-07-19T21:03:00.001+01:00

It’s obvious that the massive potential for energy saving in the former Soviet Union has not been realised – but less obvious why it has not, and how the obstructions can be removed. My extended working paper, Elusive Potential: Natural Gas Consumption in the CIS and the Quest for Efficiency, published today by the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies and downloadable here, considers the issue in depth and examines how and why gas consumption patterns may change.

Political risk impacts investment into Russia

2011-05-24T18:09:00.001+01:00

Foreign direct investment is paltry and capital continues to flow out of Russia, as an election approaches. Read a report from Emerging Markets newspaper here.

Economic foundations of Lukashenko's Belarus tremble

2011-05-24T18:02:00.004+01:00

The regime will struggle to resolve the currency crisis in Minsk, which is compounded by pressure from Moscow. Read more here.

SE Asia farmers ‘need climate change measures now’

2011-05-07T10:01:00.000+01:00

Development institutions need to help south east Asian farmers adapt to the impacts of climate change now, researchers are warning. Published in Emerging Markets here.

Nord Stream threatens Ukraine’s share of transit while domestic production slows

2011-05-07T09:41:00.005+01:00

Published in Gas Matters, April 2011

Ukraine’s share of Russian gas transit to Europe remains under threat mid- to long-term, despite a promise by Gazprom to raise transit volumes via Ukraine to 112 bcm/year for five years. Ukraine’s talks about the transit network’s future, with Russia on one hand and European institutions on the other, are dragging on inconclusively. Meanwhile efforts to raise domestic production, and streamline consumption, move forward slowly. Full article here

Russia's modernization means conquering oil dependence

2010-10-22T10:19:00.002+01:00

I reviewed discussion among economists about the Russian economy's prospects in the global recovery here http://www.emergingmarkets.org/Article/2682714/Europe/RUSSIAN-ECONOMY-Russias-oil-problem.html

Imposing an austerity package on Ukraine may not be easy

2010-10-22T10:17:00.003+01:00

The IMF has signed up a new loan programme with the government, but pushing through cuts that undermine living standards will be hard, I argued in a feature article in Emerging Markets newspaper here http://www.emergingmarkets.org/Article/2690747/Europe/UKRAINE-Tough-love.html

Russia-Ukraine gas troubles are not over yet

2010-07-01T22:17:00.000+01:00

The gas agreements signed between Moscow and Kiev in April are full of "fault lines" that could open again soon, my colleagues Jonathan Stern and Katja Yafimava and I argue in a new paper, The April 2010 Russo-Ukrainian gas agreement and its implications for Europe. It's free to download here: http://www.oxfordenergy.org/pdfs/NG42.pdf

Modernising Russia's economy

2010-05-29T17:00:00.001+01:00

It's easier said than done. Emerging Markets newspaper, 14 May 2010. http://www.emergingmarkets.org/article.asp?PositionID=search&ArticleID=2487832

Kyrgyz government struggles for stability

2010-05-29T16:55:00.001+01:00

Constitutional changes in question. Emerging Markets newspaper, 13 May 2010. http://www.emergingmarkets.org/article.asp?PositionID=search&ArticleID=2486874

China sets the pace in central Asia

2010-05-29T16:50:00.000+01:00

Economically, Russia is on the back foot. Emerging Markets newspaper, 2 May 2010. http://www.emergingmarkets.org/article.asp?PositionID=search&ArticleID=2478245

The impact of the economic crisis on Russian and CIS gas markets

2010-05-29T16:23:00.000+01:00

Published in November 2009 by the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies. Download here: http://www.oxfordenergy.org/pdfs/NG36.pdf

The Russo-Ukrainian gas dispute of January 2009

2010-05-29T16:20:00.000+01:00

The Oxford Institute for Energy Studies published this comprehensive assessment of the dispute, which I wrote together with my colleagues Jonathan Stern and Katja Yafimava, in February 2009. It is downloadable here: http://www.oxfordenergy.org/pdfs/NG27.pdf

Russian and CIS Gas Markets and Their Impact on Europe

2010-05-29T15:41:00.000+01:00

This book is the first comprehensive survey of natural gas markets in Russia and the CIS, and of the role that natural gas plays in the economy and politics of the region. It was published by Oxford University Press in 2009. I edited and co-authored this volume, working with a team of internationally recognised specialists in the field. More details here: http://www.oxfordenergy.org/bookdetails.php?oies33