Trump

• This was formalised in September 2021 with the announcement of Aukus, a military alliance with the US and Australia.
• Yet its major interests there – in security, economy, diplomacy and human rights – appear more closely aligned with Brussels than Washington.
• The imperative to coordinate, if not align, with Europe will become stronger still if Donald Trump returns to the US presidency in 2024.
• Ironically, Britain’s pivot away from the European bloc and towards the Indo-Pacific calls for greater policy coordination with Europe.

Global trade

• On global trade in general, the UK and US are moving in opposite directions.
• There remains little sign of the promised US-UK free trade agreement.
• In its absence, Britain is placing trade at the centre of its Indo-Pacific tilt, joining the region’s most ambitious free trade deal, the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement on Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Diplomatic moves

• And it committed the UK to pushing back against human rights violations in China by aligning with the UK’s allies and partners.
• When part of the EU, British diplomats were well known as effective contributors to the EU’s diplomatic service.

A win for Europe

• The European Council’s description of the EU-China relationship -– partner on global challenges, competitor on technology, rival on governance –- has provided a stable framework since 2019.
• There is also a win for Europe in all this.

Andrew Chubb consults for the Great Britain-China Centre and the Ministry of Defence. [email protected] receives funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council and consults for the Ministry of Defence.

• In 2023 the US was both the world’s largest producer of natural gas and its largest exporter of LNG, with exports that year totalling 86 million tons.
• On January 26, Biden announced a temporary pause on approvals of pending LNG projects until a review could be completed.
• Biden has not stopped exports from existing projects or construction work on future ones, whether or not they have the necessary approvals.
• The spotlight on US LNG exports is at least a chance to question whether gas should have a place in the energy transition.

Freedom LNG

• The Trump administration described US LNG exports as “molecules of freedom” in 2019 that could reduce Europe’s reliance on Russian gas.
• The traditional LNG model tied producers and consumers into long-term contracts with destination clauses that constrained where LNG could be sold.
• Instead, US LNG is sold free on board, meaning buyers (other oil and gas companies, utility companies and traders) take ownership at the export terminal, arrange shipping and sell the LNG wherever they wish.
• Industry and energy thinktank analysis suggests that the liquidity of the global LNG market will be untouched by the pause.

US LNG exports to Europe are secure for now, but Europe has pledged to significantly reduce how much gas it burns. And so, there is a lot of uncertainty around gas demand in the 2030s and beyond.

Time to take our foot off the gas?

• If countries meet future energy demand with gas instead of coal, emissions will fall.
• However, other analyses highlight the methane that leaks from pipelines and suggest that gas may actually be worse for the climate than coal.
• If this happens, the LNG industry could be building production capacity for which there is no market.

Michael Bradshaw receives funding from the UK Energy System Research Programme and EPSRC in relation to his role as Co-Director for the UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC). He also advises the government, thinktanks and companies on energy matters.

• He is the president of Dickinson College and a retired federal judge appointed by President George W. Bush and confirmed unanimously by the U.S. Senate in 2002.
• I think it’s clear they’re going to reverse the Colorado Supreme Court.
• I would look for a reversal in a fairly short period of time.
• The surprise may be that some of the more liberal justices could join the majority.
• I think you could potentially see some concurring opinions, although I think Chief Justice John Roberts will try to wrap it into one opinion.
• Murray clerked for Justice Neil Gorsuch when he was on the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals and also clerked for Justice Elena Kagan on the Supreme Court.
• Of course, it got challenged up to the Supreme Court, and in the Constitution there’s no amendment that imposes term limits.
• There’s an element of trying to torture a very poorly written section down into something that fits the situation in 2024.

John E. Jones III does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

• LATV (Latino Alternative Television), Latino Media Collaborative's (LMC) CALÓ News, and Comedian/Actor Al Madrigal have joined forces to create the "Stop the Dis(information)" campaign surrounding the 2024 U.S. elections.
• Madrigal will serve as Executive Producer for the specials that will air on LATV.
• The Schiff Town Hall is the kickoff event in the "Stop the Dis(information)" campaign between Hispanic-owned media companies LATV and LMC's CALÓ News.
• The "Stop the Dis" town hall Executive Producers are Al Madrigal, Jason Ross, Flavio Morales, Martin Albornoz for CALÓ News, Andres Palencia and Bruno Seros-Ulloa for LATV.