Energy Diplomacy in a Multi-Polar World: Building Alliances for Supply, Capital and Technology

Energy relationships now span supply, investment, technology and strategic cooperation at once. Large importers source crude from dozens of countries and have built ties across the Gulf, Africa, the Americas and Central Asia, where a handful of relationships once sufficed. Emerging economies are expected to account for the large majority of future energy-demand growth, giving them a stronger collective voice. Sustaining these relationships requires more than commercial terms. Bilateral and multilateral engagement can strengthen supply security while opening access to capital and technology. Emerging economies are also building collective weight in the forums where the rules are set. The discussion will focus on how durability of partnerships, rather than cargo availability, defines energy security.