OCMO 2320 - Energy in the MENA Region: A Geopolitical Game-Changer

***UPDATED for 2025/26***

The course aims at providing students with an analytical review of the economics and geopolitics of energy in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The abundant energy sources of the region, its strategic location between the main international energy markets in Asia and Europe, and its crucial role in the global energy trade, make the MENA area a vital cornerstone for the world’s energy industry. The world, and especially the West, is much more interested about any event in the MENA region if it is associated with either a threat to or an actual disruption of energy supplies from the area. This behavior derives from an implicit conviction that Middle Eastern energy is to be ‘shared’ among its producers and consumers, being vitally and strategically important to the latter’s economies.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

• Acquiring in-depth knowledge about the MENA region and its economic and geopolitical importance and challenges;
• Building analytical reasoning allowing a more comprehensive understanding of the MENA region and its energy sector; and
• Developing critical thinking when it comes to energy issues, especially those linked to the MENA region.

PROFESSIONAL SKILLS

• Analytical skills on the functioning of energy markets
• Introduction to Strategic & Policy Design
• Policy Implementation & Future Planning

While the lectures during the class hours are important and shall provide the main essence of the course, it is imperative to push the students to go into the details of the topic itself through the preparation of in-depth oral presentations and written essays.

For this course, there shall be four types of assessment:

1- A 10–15-minute oral presentation to be performed by 2 or 3 students during each session (20%);

2- An individual written essay to be prepared by each student in a 4-week time frame (30% of the final grade);

3- A 2-hour final exam, with case studies, to assess the acquired level of knowledge and analysis during session 12 (40%);

4- Participation in the class discussions and debates 10%

• In Class Presence: 2 hours a week / 24 hours a semester
• Online learning activities: 4 hours a week / 48 hours a semester
• Reading and Preparation for Class: 3 hours a week / 36 hours a semester
• Research and Preparation for Group Work: 2 hours a week / 24 hours a semester
• Research and Writing for Individual Assessments: 2 hours a week / 24 hours a semester