ARCHIVE
FOREIGN POLICY SEMINAR
BEYOND OIL: NATURAL RESOURCES AND GEOPOLITICAL COMPETITION
A Political-Economic Conflict Seminar
December 5-7, 2006
The current struggle among governments of the world for guaranteed supplies of oil and gas is likely to expand to include conflicts over other natural resources, such as drinking water, a wide variety of minerals, and renewable resources like timber, wood pulp and even food. Experts in both the United States and Europe project that by the middle of the 21st Century, water is likely to replace hydrocarbons as the primary cause of conflict among countries around the world.
Just as the rise of oil and natural gas as key elements in the world economy boosted the role of the Middle East, and more recently the Russian Federation, the rise of water as a vital natural resource will increase the worldwide importance of the "water superpowers" - the Russian Federation, Canada, and Brazil - and the regional status of individual countries, like Tajikistan and Thailand, in particular regions.
Fifty years ago, many observers pointed to oil and gas as a potential source of strife, but until actual disputes began breaking out, relatively few governments' policymakers focused on the explosive role of these resources. Now, through this special Alan L. Freed Associates Political Economic Conflict Seminar, we will examine the politics of water and other key resources and learn how experts believe conflicts over these resources are likely to arise and be resolved.
SPEAKERS & TOPICS
From the Balkans to Central Asia: Natural Resources and the Issue of Border Security
Philip Petersen, Senior Fellow, The Potomac Foundation; Former Intelligence and Policy Analyst
Natural Resources: A Curse or A Blessing?
Yuri Maltsev, Soviet Defector and Economic Specialist; Former Senior Researcher, Institute of Economics, Academy of Sciences of the USSR
China on the Prowl: How It Got Its Claws Into Africa
Llewellyn King, Host, White House Chronicle (PBS); Former Publisher and Editor, Energy Daily, White House Weekly, and Defense Week
Non-Energy Resource Challenges to U.S. Foreign Policy
Ariel Cohen, Senior Research Fellow, The Heritage Foundation
U. S. Policy Options: Towards A New Energy Policy in the Region
Stephen J. Blank, Research Professor of National Security Affairs, Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army War College
Central Asian Thirst and Siberian Water
Paul Goble, Program Moderator. Senior Research Associate, Euro College, University of Tartu, Estonia; Former Senior Advisor to the Director, Voice of America
Energy and Natural Resources: Future Issues Facing the United States
John Felmy, Chief Economist, American Petroleum Institute
Plan B: Rescuing A Planet Under Stress and A Civilization in Trouble
Janet Larsen, Director of Research, Earth Policy Institute
Water Challenges in the Middle East
A. William Samii, Senior Researcher and Regional Analysis Coordinator, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Voice of America
Fighting Over Water: How Water Could Become War
Martin Sieff, National Security Correspondent and Former Chief Political Correspondent, United Press International
ABOUT ALAN L. FREED ASSOCIATES
Alan L. Freed Associates specializes in the design and development of non-partisan Public Policy Seminars for senior managers and executives of the federal government. Through a series of high-level, off-the-record presentations, these seminars provide attendees with an understanding of the fast-paced political, policy, and procedural developments that affect their careers and the mission of their Agency.
In 1976, Alan L. Freed Associates founded and developed the original Capitol Hill Workshop and White House Workshop. Alan L. Freed Associates has designed and conducted more than 800 executive-level public policy seminars in Washington, DC. In addition, Alan L. Freed Associates has presented over 100 public policy seminars at various military bases around the United States. Over 500 "Washington Insiders" have made presentations in the past 30 years. These public policy seminars are a widely recognized and highly respected component of leadership training and executive development in the federal government.
If you are interested in a custom Public Policy Seminar at your installation, please contact us. All seminars will be designed to address global issues of specific interest to participants at the time of the seminar.
Alan L. Freed Associates is affiliated with the Federal Executive Institute Alumni Association (FEIAA), a nonprofit organization which is dedicated to the continuing education of the federal executive.
