New Books Network On Our Continuing Age of Oil with Journalist Stanley Reed
Mar 28, 2026
Stanley Reed, veteran London-based journalist who covers energy and the Middle East, walks through why oil still dominates global power. He spotlights Gulf production, pipelines versus the Strait of Hormuz, LNG and Asian demand. They discuss renewed exploration from Namibia to Venezuela, infrastructure risks from attacks, and whether oil demand might peak amid renewables and nuclear pressures.
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Reporting John Browne's Russia Victory Lap
- Stanley Reed accompanied BP leader John Browne on a post-deal tour in Russia that included university visits and a party in the Kremlin armory.
- He recalled Mikhail Fridman as the main Russian oligarch partner during that era.
BP's Origins Are Tied To Iranian Oil
- British oil history ties directly to Iran: commercial oil discoveries around 1910 helped found BP, later nationalized during decolonization.
- Control over Middle East oil shaped 20th-century geopolitics, including the 1953 Iranian coup.
US Production Helps But Doesn’t Isolate Prices
- Oil and refined products trade as interrelated global commodities (Brent, WTI among many benchmarks), so US production doesn't insulate domestic prices completely.
- The US is better buffered by high gas production and LNG exports, but refined-product prices rise with global disruptions.
