Energy and natural resources remain central to international relations, yet the geopolitical landscape surrounding them is becoming increasingly complex. This course examines how energy markets, critical minerals, technological change, and government policy influence global competition, national security, and strategic decision-making.

Through contemporary case studies and structured analytical frameworks, participants explore the geopolitical forces shaping oil, natural gas, electricity infrastructure, critical minerals, and the global energy transition. The course develops practical analytical skills for evaluating how geopolitical developments influence energy markets and resource competition.

Designed for professionals across business, government, finance, and risk management, the course equips participants to assess geopolitical developments with greater confidence and communicate insights that support informed strategic decisions.

Complex conflicts rarely unfold at one level or follow a single narrative. The 5×5 Conflict Analysis Framework™ provides a structured approach to examining how the forces shaping a conflict interact and change over time.

Using Ukraine as the primary case study, participants examine a conflict shaped over decades by competing interests, changing conditions, and sharply different interpretations. They learn to identify important relationships, place current developments within a wider context, and trace changes that may influence the conflict’s direction. The emphasis is not on providing a prescribed explanation, but on evaluating evidence and developing a well-supported independent assessment. The methodology can also be adapted to conflicts and geopolitical challenges beyond Ukraine.

Developed and taught by Patrik Baab and Steven Smith, the course builds on the layered perspective introduced in Baab’s Five Wars in One.