Libya on the brink as protests sweep across Mena
Anti-government protests are sweeping across North Africa and the Middle East, bringing uncertainty for oil and gas investors and markets
THE OUSTERS of Tunisia's Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali and Egypt's Hosni Mubarak have awakened the Arab Street from its slumber. Protesters crowding the streets of cities across the region – in Yemen, Bahrain, Algeria, Morocco, even Libya – now know it is possible to voice their dissent. Iran's opposition movement is also back, emboldened. Change is in the air, and the push is coming not from the top, but from the bottom. Its impetus too comes not from the concerns of rulers, but from those of the ruled – from tumbling living standards, soaring prices for domestic necessities and an increasingly well-educated and under-employed youth. But change carries a price. For the West, that price is uncerta
Also in this section
5 March 2026
Gas is a central pillar of Colombia’s energy system, but declining production poses a significant challenge, and LNG will be increasingly needed as a stopgap. A recent major offshore gas discovery offers hope, but policy improvements are also required, Camilo Morales, secretary general of Naturgas, the Colombian gas association, tells Petroleum Economist
4 March 2026
The continent’s inventories were already depleted before conflict erupted in the Middle East, causing prices to spike ahead of the crucial summer refilling season
4 March 2026
The US president has repeatedly promised to lower gasoline prices, but this ambition conflicts with his parallel aim to increase drilling and could be upended by his war against Iran
4 March 2026
With the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed following US-Israel strikes and Iran’s retaliatory escalation, Fujairah has become the region’s critical pressure release valve—and is now under serious threat
