Bio

Paul Michael Wihbey
President
pmw@gwest.net

Paul Michael Wihbey is president and founder of GWEST LLC. (Global Water and Energy Strategy Team), a Washington-based consulting firm specializing in

the geopolitics of strategic resources such as oil, gas and water.

In May 2003, GWEST and FirstEnergy Capital Corp. of Calgary (a leading investment bank in the Canadian energy sector) announced their partnership for the publication of FirstCommentary/FirstInsight, a private-sector analytical quarterly of the global oil, gas and water markets. Issues covered include; Canada’s rise as an energy superpower; Alberta’s dramatic impact on the global and US oil markets; Canadian water exports to the US; Saudi Arabia, terrorism and oil; Petro-politics in Cuba, Venezuela, Mexico, China and Russia; US vs Iran over the Persian Gulf; West Africa and US energy security, and; the post-9/11 challenge to OPEC.

In 2004, GWEST was contracted by the The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, under a grant from the National Commission on Energy Policy, to prepare a study on West African oil revenues and sustainable development. On July 19th 2005, the CBCF released the report, “Breaking the Oil Syndrome: Responsible Hydrocarbon Development in West Africa” at a conference at the Library of Congress attended by 100 delegates who were addressed by several U.S. Congressional Representatives, including Sheila Jackson Lee, Elijah Cummings and Alcee Hasting. As a result, he was invited to lecture at the TOTAL-founded Institute of Petroleum Studies (IPS), University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria in March 2006.

The report is follow-on to the June 2002 whitepaper, ‘African Oil: A Priority for US National Security and African Development’ by the African Oil Policy Initiative Group (AOPIG).’ As an AOPIG co-chair, Mr Wihbey was invited to lead an AOPIG delegation to Nigeria in July 2002. Sponsored by Emerald Energy Resources and AOPIG charter member, Dr Emmanuel Egbogah, the American delegation held talks with President Obasanjo, met with Dr. Mohammed, Nigeria’s national security advisor, and other government dignitaries. Mr Wihbey also had the honor to address leading members of Lagos’ energy and business communities at the Metropolitan Club.

Since the establishment of GWEST in late 2002, Mr Wihbey has had the opportunity to provide in-person briefings on energy and energy-related issues to the heads of state of Nigeria, Ecuador, Congo/Brazzaville and Sao Tome & Principe. He has also briefed senior Congressional and Administration policy advisors including officials at the Departments of State, Commerce, Defense and Energy. Mr Wihbey has written numerous articles and studies and has testified to the US Congress (House Africa Subcommittee, March 2000).

Recent Activities:

In January, 2004 he was invited to address Calgary-based SUNCOR’s annual Board of Directors’ meeting in Florida on, “ The Global Oil Market: 2015-2020”.
On April 1st, he was interviewed by the Daily Oil Bulletin, “Report Raises Idea of New Oil Pricing Mechanism”.
On June 25th, he addressed the International Trade & Technology Summit in Calgary on, “Water in the 21st Century”.
In May, GWEST and the American Foreign Policy Council hosted a Congressional symposium in Washington on US/Canada energy relations, Mr Wihbey addressed, “Changing Global Energy Conditions.”
Keynoted the Canadian Association of Petroleum Landman’s conference in Lake Louise, Alberta in October on, “ The Geopolitics of Oil”.
North American Studies, McGill University, Montreal, “Oil & Terrorism”, (November, 2004).
In 2005, he keynoted FirstEnergy’s first annual London Oil Sands Conference in March.

In April, he was guest speaker at the Montreal branch of the Canadian

Institute of International Affairs, “Canada: An Energy Superpower & its

Implications with the US and Globally.”

In May, the San Antonio Trilateral Technology Summit, “The Geopolitics of International Oil Supply & Demand.”
In September, he was invited by Congresswomen Sheila Jackson Lee

as a panelist to the Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative

Conference’s Energy BrainTrust.

Keynote for Toronto-based SentrySelect’s Las Vegas Management Portfolio conference, May 2006, “Rise of the North American Unconventional HydroCarbons”

Other speaking engagements include:

-Stewart Title Corporate Symposium, Houston, "Oil Prices and Energy Policy," (October 2000);

-ASAM, (Center for Eurasian Strategic Studies) Conference, Ankara, Turkey "Water Geopolitics in the Middle East", (November 2000);

-Bank Credit Analyst Conference, Montreal, "The U.S. and the Persian Gulf: Strategic Requirement or Illusion?", (October 2001);

-McGill University, Montreal, "The United States responds to Terror", (October 2001);

-BCA's Winter Investment Energy Conference, Miami, "Oil Geopolitics" (February 2002);

-FirstEnergy Capital Corp. (Calgary) Energy Conference, New York, "Changing Global Energy Patterns: Impact on Persian Gulf Stability and Oil Supplies", (March 2002);

-The Association of International Petroleum Negotiators' monthly board meeting, Houston, "Global Energy Impact on U.S. National Security", (March 2002);

-Global Interdependence Center and the Philadelphia Council for Business Economics at The Federal Reserve (Philadelphia), "Saudi Arabia and the Persian Gulf: An Economic and Political Risk Assessment", (April 2002);

-CATO Institute, Washington DC, "The US Presence in Saudi Arabia", (April 2002);

-Calgary Petroleum Club, "The Geopolitics of Changing Energy Patterns", (May

2002); This presentation was part of series of meetings arranged by FirstEnergy with leading Canadian energy and financial firms in Montreal, Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver and Victoria.

-NAL Oil and Gas Annual Board Meeting (videoconference) Banff, "US Energy

Security", (May 2002);

-Florida Atlantic University, Miami, "US Energy Policy and the War on Terrorism", (June 2002);

-Foreign Service Institute, US State Dept, "Africa's Oil", (May, August, and November 2002);

-Board of Caisse de Depot et Placement, Montreal, "US Energy, Economic and

Security Policies Post 9/11", (June 2002);

-Pengrowth Energy Investment Conference, Quebec City, "US Energy Security

Policy", (September 2002);

-FAU, Middle East Studies Assoc., Miami, "Oil and Water in the Middle East, An Explosive Mixture", (December 2002);

-FirstEnergy East Coast Conference, New York, "The Politics of Oil", (March 2003);

-US State Dept./National Intelligence Council Symposium, Washington, "The

Significance of African Oil", (March 2003);

-Houston & Dallas Societies of Financial Analysts, (October, 2003);

Authored papers and studies include;

"Succession in Saudi Arabia: The Not-so-silent Struggle" (1997 IASPS Research Study);

"The Southern Eurasian Great Game" (1999 IASPS Research Study) ;

"The Geopolitics of Water" (2000 IASPS Research Study);

"An Assessment of Energy Security Issues in the Caspian" (Rand Corp., 1999);

"South Atlantic Region Emerging as New US Strategic Oil Supply Flashpoint", (Oil & Gas Journal, 1998);

"The New Water Politics of the Middle East", (Strategic Review, 1999);

"Power Shifts, Energy Trends Challenge US Interests" (The Strategic Regional Report, Western Policy Center, Jan./1999);

"Changing Geopolitical Balances and the Greater Middle East Model" (Strategic Analysis Journal, ASAM Center for Eurasian Strategic Studies, Ankara Turkey, Jan./2001);

"A Turkish Strategic Window of Opportunity'", (Insight Turkey, vol. 3, no.4, Oct-Dec.2001).

Media activities include:

Articles or interviews in The National Post, The Daily Oil Bulletin (Calgary), ROB-TV, CBC, The London Daily Telegraph, National Review, The L.A.

Times, Boston Herald, Atlanta Constitution, Reuters, Slate.com, US News and World Report, Periscope (U.S. Naval Institute), Washington Times, C-SPAN, Christian Science Monitor, The Spectator, Le Monde Diplomatique, Turkish Daily News, Asharq Al-Awsat, UPI, The National Journal, The International Herald Tribune, CNBC ("Kudlow & Cramer"), ABC National News, VOA, NHK, Russian ORT TV, Swedish National TV, Sabah (Istanbul Daily), Azeri National TV and Turkish NTV and Star TV.