Author: Robert M. Cutler

Robert M. Cutler earned his doctorate at The University of Michigan after receiving two Bachelor's degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. After over a dozen years in leading universities in Canada, France, Russia, Switzerland and the United States, he expanded into policy analysis and consulting as an Energy Security and Geo-economics Specialist. He has over 25 years' experience in international energy diplomacy: advising energy firms, governments, international institutions and NGOs; framing policy and research issues and leading teams to address them, and producing briefings and analytical bulletins. He has published scores of refereed academic articles, policy articles and book chapters. He Practitioner Member at the University of Waterloo's Institute for Complexity and Innovation (WICI) and Senior Fellow at Strategy International. He is a past fellow of the Canadian International Council and Canadian Global Affairs Institute, and was for many years a senior researcher at Carleton University's Institute for European, Russian and European Studies. He is fluent in English, French and Russian. He can be reached at rmc@alum.mit.edu and posts to X from @RobertMCutler.
Dr Robert M Cutler Energy Security

The Caspian Convention and Caspian Energy

The authoritative text of the Convention on the Status of the Caspian Sea (Caspian Convention), signed August 12 in Aktau, Kazakhstan, is now available. After 23 years of negotiations, skepticism seems to be an influential trend in interpreting the Convention’s significance. It is easier for an expert to say, “Oh I didn’t expect such progress,” Read More…
Dr Robert M Cutler Energy Security

The Caspian Sea Will be Divided

After more than 20 years of negotiation, and despite all the skepticism, there is every indication that five-party the Convention on the Status of the Caspian Sea will be signed in Aktau, Kazakhstan, on August 12. In fact, it was clear last December that it would be signed soon enough, when the Russian foreign minister Read More…
Energy Security

Europe Looks to Turkmenistan to Expand Southern Gas Corridor

European energy security policy reached a milestone in early June when the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP, after its Turkish initials) was opened. As the name indicates, the pipeline runs east-west across Turkey (1,850 kilometres) from the Georgian to the Greek border.   It will carry, in the first instance, natural gas from Azerbaijan’s Shah Read More…
Dr Robert M Cutler Energy Security

Turkey’s Place in Euro-Caspian Energy Development

Two extremely important events for Turkey’s energy policy took place within days of each other at the end of May and in early June. The first was the formal opening of the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC). The second was the order, by Dutch courts, that Gazprom’s assets in The Netherlands should be frozen. That court Read More…