Helen Thompson, a political economist at Cambridge, examines how geopolitical conflict has shaped global oil and gas markets, with implications for the current Gulf crisis.

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Geopolitical conflict has long shaped the evolution of global energy systems. Over the past 70 years, periods of relative stability in oil and gas markets have repeatedly given way to disruption, from the Suez Crisis to the oil shocks of the 1970s, and more recently to tensions in the Middle East. These episodes have often prompted governments and markets to rethink how energy is produced, sourced, and used, sometimes reducing vulnerability, and at other times creating new risks that only emerge over time.

But these disruptions have not all played out in the same way. Some have triggered significant shifts in how energy systems are organized, while others have had more limited and short-lived effects. In some cases, efforts to manage risk have led to lasting changes. In others, they have introduced new dependencies that only became visible later.

On the podcast, Helen Thompson, professor of political economy at the University of Cambridge, explores how major geopolitical disruptions have reshaped energy systems in the United States and globally, and the policy and market responses that have followed. She also examines the vulnerabilities and pressure points in today’s oil and gas markets, and what recent tensions in the Persian Gulf may reveal about the resilience of the current system.

Helen Thompson is professor of political economy at the University of Cambridge.

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Energy Policy Now is produced by The Kleinman Center for Energy Policy at the University of Pennsylvania. For all things energy policy, visit kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu.

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