Because of the Middle East's critical role in global energy markets, the Iraq War raises important questions about the shifting distribution of economic and financial power around the world. This in turn raises important implications for America's international standing.

Oystein Noreng is Norway's leading energy economist and a profoundly insightful commentator on the geopolitical factors affecting global energy markets. Since 1990, Noreng has been Professor and FINA Chair in petroleum economics and management at the Norwegian School of Management. He is the author of Oil Politics in the 1980s, Oil and Islam, and Oil on the Fire, a book on the United States and the Iraq War.

Video of this provocative discussion with Professor Noreng and Flynt Leverett, Director of the Geopolitics of Global Energy Initiative, is available at right, while an MP3 audio recording can be downloaded below.