The Foreign Service Journal, February 2009

F O C U S O N G L O B A L E N E R G Y S TRIKING W HILE THE I RON I S H OT Josh Dorman 16 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / F E B R U A R Y 2 0 0 9 s he takes the helm of the ship of state, President Barack Obama faces an en- ergy agenda full of unprecedented challenges, all of which the ongoing financial meltdown has further complicated. The presidential campaign was surprisingly limited on the topic of energy given the level of oil prices going into the conventions, topping out at $147.27 a barrel last July. Both candidates professed a commitment to achieving “U.S. en- ergy independence” and reducing dependence on the “unstable” Middle East, and took more accommodating positions T HE CONVERGENCE OF THE NEED FOR ECONOMIC STIMULUS PLANS , LOWER - CARBON ENERGY SOURCES AND INFRASTRUCTURE RENEWAL IS A HISTORIC MOMENT . B Y W ILLIAM C. R AMSAY A