Research Library

Yemen’s Houthi have mounted a selective counter-shipping campaign in the Red Sea that has disrupted global trade between Asia and Europe. In a new issue brief, fellow Jim Krane describes how the attacks have triggered major shipping delays and expenses for firms based in countries friendly to Israel — effectively acting as economic sanctions and demonstrating the power of a non-state actor to undermine global norms around freedom of navigation.

Since October 2023, Houthi militants have deployed missile and drone attacks in the Red Sea — creating security concerns in one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes and causing major disruptions to supply chains. On this episode of Baker Briefing, experts assess the security threat in the Red Sea and the broader geopolitical ramifications of the Israel-Hamas war.

Global leaders met in Dubai this month for the 28th annual United Nations Conference of the Parties on climate change — known as COP28. In the lead-up to the conference, our expert panel broke down the key political and policy issues at play. 

OPEC+, which is led by Saudi Arabia and Russia, announced this week that it is cutting oil output by 1.2 million barrels per day starting in May. This amounts to removing roughly 1% of oil from the global market. Our experts discuss the far-reaching consequences of this move for U.S. gas prices, American energy security, and U.S.-Saudi relations. 

President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has backfired in many ways. For one, it’s leading to a diminished Russian energy export economy and spurring Europe to a clean energy future, writes fellow Jim Krane.

Political, market and geopolitical headwinds have slowed down Biden’s ambitious climate plans, write energy experts Anna Mikulska and Michael Maher. In this brief, they explore why progress on decarbonization is likely to be more gradual than initially envisioned.

The authors examine the recent attacks on oil infrastructure in Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf nations to shed light on the current state of U.S.-Gulf strategic relations and the potential directions of its evolution in coming years.

In the near term, a ban on shale development in Mexico will have little impact since factors like limited infrastructure and access to water would likely stall progress in any case, the authors conclude. In the long-run, a ban may adversely affect efforts to diversify Mexico’s gas supply.

In this episode of the Policy Matters podcast, Michael Maher, senior program advisor for the Center for Energy Studies, discusses the Democratic Party's ambitious proposal to tackle climate change by radically transforming how Americans use energy.

By Kirstin R.W. Matthews and Melody T. Tan Vaccines and vaccine exemptions are increasingly contentious issues in Texas. In this issue brief, the authors dispel five common misconceptions about vaccines that were presented during public hearings at the Texas House of Representatives in 2017.