This began when along with my colleague Professor Michael Cook of Princeton's Department of Near Eastern Studies, I organized a conference on the impact of a likely "Hubbert Peak" in global oil production. This took place in Princeton on May 14th, 2005. A position paper sets out the basis for the discussion among the participants.

The following year Professor Cook and I were joined by Professors Stephen Pacala and Robert Socolow, Co-Directors of Princeton's Carbon Mitigation Initiative and together we organized a couple of visitor based courses on these issues as well as a second conference on the link between Oil, the Middle East and the national security of the United States on April 21st 2006. This conference was dedicated to the memory of the late Charles Issawi, Princeton's distinguished economic historian of the Middle East. The relevant documents are here: position paper, participant list, program.

In the academic year 2006-2007 the four of us continued the program under the aegis of the Princeton's TRI. The years' menu included a seminar series and a very stimulating conference on Saudi Arabia. We were also fortunate in being able to bring to Princeton three fellows working on these issues: Dr. Steffen Hertog, Dr. Christopher Boucek and Professor Miriam Lowi. In Fall 2006 Professor Julie Taylor of NES and I co-taught a course on Oil, Energy and the Middle East (NES/ENV 266). In Spring 2007 Drs. Hertog and Boucek co-taught a course at the Woodrow Wilson School on Saudi Arabia and the Gulf.

Starting in Fall 2007, this program has now been absorbed into the newly announced Grand Challenges initiative at Princeton thus finding a permanent home.