Number: RL32466
Title: Rising Energy Competition and Energy Security in Northeast Asia: Issues for U.S. Policy
Authors: Emma Chanlett-Avery, Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division 
Abstract: Rising competition for energy in China, Japan, and South Korea are of interest to U.S. policymakers for three primary reasons. First, the surge in China's energy needs has emerged as a major factor in influencing world oil prices. Second, the tightening global oil market could increase the bargaining power of oil exporting countries, possibly driving a wedge between the United States and our Asian allies over important foreign policy issues. Third, competition in Asia over access to energy supplies could significantly alter the geopolitics of the region, with important ramifications for U.S. foreign policy. Analysts alarmed at the developing trends are quick to mention that energy insecurity is often cited as the proximate cause of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.
Pages: 23
Date: May 13, 2008