Diplomacy 101: Undiplomatically Speaking
Where Beliefs Clash and Stories Flash
Pipeline Politics and Arctic Ambitions
In a week marked by infrastructure diplomacy, two energy corridors dominated headlines—one literal, one metaphorical. Turkey and Iraq finalized a long-delayed agreement to restart the Kirkuk-Ceyhan oil pipeline, effectively reintegrating Iraq’s northern exports into global markets after months of geopolitical and legal haggling. The deal, brokered in part by U.S. and Qatari intermediaries, reaffirms Ankara’s role as a critical energy transit player, even as Turkey distances itself rhetorically from Western blocs.
Farther north, Canada and Norway co-chaired an Arctic Council working group on resource governance and climate security. Though Russia remains suspended from formal proceedings, Moscow’s increasing military activity along the Northern Sea Route cast a long shadow. The U.S. and allies responded with a rare joint statement emphasizing “freedom of navigation” and “indigenous sovereignty,” signaling renewed interest in Arctic diplomacy as both a climate and security issue.
Energy routes and polar frontiers—once technical matters—are now pivotal in global strategic competition. Control of supply chains increasingly means control of influence.