20page
Introduction
Thanks to the boom in American unconventional oil and gas production, the United States is
swapping its long-suffered vulnerability to imported energy in favor of a new strategic asset. Even
if the technology behind this energy renaissance remains limited to the American space, its
geopolitical consequences will go beyond American shores. U.S. adversaries and allies will be
affected in different – and often unanticipated ways – given the variety of mechanisms through
which American energy prowess will affect global energy markets and politics. Despite numerous
uncertainties surrounding the trajectory of global energy, America’s chance to capitalize on its new
energy prowess offers significant new opportunities in the geopolitical realm.