Breadcrumb
Responsive Image

Ambassador Richard Morningstar (retired), founding chairman of the Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Center

Interview with Ambassador Richard Morningstar

By Brenda Shaffer, Faculty Associate-Research, Energy Academic Group

In August 2020, the Energy Academic Group held an advanced energy security course for professionals in Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey. The virtual course was co-sponsored with ADA University in Baku. One of the highlights of the course was an interview with (retired) Ambassador Richard Morningstar, founding chairman of the Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Center. Ambassador Morningstar held a number of positions over the last three decades leading major aspects of U.S. international energy policy, including U.S. Special Envoy for Eurasian Energy and U.S. Ambassador to the EU, and U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan. His interview captures lessons learned on U.S. international energy policy and is an important primary document for students and researchers studying the intersection between U.S. foreign policy and U.S. international energy policy, Caspian energy, and the politics of the South Caucasus. In addition Morningstar explained “At that time, we were thinking about and we really wanted there to be a diversity of pipelines, not just pipelines going through Russia. We didn’t want to see pipelines going through Iran—but it was important that pipelines go west… We really wanted to emphasize and ensure the sovereignty of the new states, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Central Asian countries.” In addition, “What was important is that this was a bipartisan policy. Republicans and Democrats both supported it. And it’s been consistent since that time. With all of the issues in the United States, all the fighting back and forth between Republicans and Democrats, our Caspian policy has been fully consistent for 25 years. And I think that’s been very important because it gave us credibility.” On the Southern Gas Corridor natural gas project, which brings gas from the Caspian to Europe and which Morningstar worked over a decade to help establish, Morningstar remarked, “I think that the Southern Gas Corridor has been an incredibly successful project.” This project brings the first new gas volumes in decades to Europe, versus pipeline projects that just reroute existing gas supplies.

LEARN MORE

Watch the full interview at nps.edu/web/eag/august-12-2020

Read the full interview at the atlanticcouncil.org

Email Brenda Shaffer at eag_poc@nps.edu

 

 

 

Sidebar - Surge Archive

Image of Surge Quarterly Newsletter

Quarterly Newsletter

Surge is published quarterly by the Energy Academic Group and covers a divese range of energy-related topics. View archive

Contact Us - Sidebar

Questions

How can we help with your energy-related education, research, and outreach?
Talk with us
Sidebar - Archived News

View by year
202420232022 | 2021 | 2020 
2019 | 2018 | 2017