Gulf Roundtable: Unconventional Energy and the Future of the Gulf

The geopolitics of oil in the Middle East is undergoing a transformation as significant as the aftermath of the 1970s oil embargo due to the rise of U.S. unconventional oil and gas. Edward L. Morse, global head of commodities research at Citi Group, argued that the growth of energy production in North America known as the “unconventionals revolution” is turning Middle Eastern oil producers away from a zero-sum mentality toward one that recognizes that their leverage in the future will be more limited. He spoke with David Gordon, head of research and director of global macro analysis at the Eurasia Group, at a CSIS Gulf Roundtable entitled “Unconventional Energy and the Future of the Gulf” on September 25, 2013. Gordon noted that the unconventionals revolution has already had political effects in the region, but he also warned that it may not be long before new surprises in technical innovation upset current predictions.