Nathaniel Kern
Encyclopedia
Nathaniel Kern, also known as Nat Kern, is President of Foreign Reports
Inc., a consulting firm founded in 1956 to provide political reporting and analysis for the oil industry. He has been with the firm since 1972, becoming Vice President in 1975 and President in 1990. His company advises energy companies, governments, and financial institutions on world energy issues, with a specialization on the Middle East
.
in 1972. During his undergraduate studies, he also attended the University of Riyadh from 1970 to 1971 as the first non-Arab student.
Besides directing and writing the firm’s analyses and reports, he also has managerial responsibility for the firm’s other senior professionals. He has had a variety of hands-on experience in the region and has traveled widely throughout it.
Kern has been a featured speaker on Middle East
energy matters at numerous industry conferences in Washington, D.C.
, London
, Riyadh
, New York
, Calgary
, Dallas, Houston, and Tokyo
. He was also co-editor of "Petroleum Politics" in the early 1990s, a quarterly publication which provided an in-depth analysis of world oil markets. He has been featured on many U.S. and Arab news broadcasting channels, interviewed by both international and national newspapers, and has written for a variety of political and oil industry publications.
during the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war
, at a time when U.S.-Iraqi relations were improving, and was tasked by the U.S. government with maintaining ties with certain key Iraqi officials from 1991 onwards, at a time when the U.S. government maintained a policy of shunning any official contact with the Iraqi government.
He has written extensively for a variety of publications on the future of Iraqi oil production following the invasion of Kuwait
, correctly anticipating that Saddam
would remain in power and that sanctions
would continue for more than a decade thereafter. Prior to the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, he provided detailed analysis of the difficulties the U.S. would face in the post-invasion phase and of the dire state of the Iraqi oil industry, while his firm pinpointed the consequences of major decisions made by the Coalition Provisional Authority
, which are now, but were not at the time, credited with contributing to the failure to achieve post-war stability.
Kern continues to write on Iraqi political developments as well as on the status of Iraq's oil industry.
since 2000.
Beginning in 1997, he worked closely with the Government of Saudi Arabia in laying the groundwork for the Saudi Gas Initiative aimed at opening Saudi Arabia’s hydrocarbon resources to foreign investment. He also worked with the U.S. companies participating in the subsequent proposals on developing major gas projects. Kern's role in the Initiative is documented in David Ottaway's new book, The King's Messenger.
In the late 1970s and 1980s, Kern worked with major contractors from around the world in responding to tenders
for the supply of power generation and water desalination
equipment to theSaline Water Conversion Corporation] (SWCC) of Saudi Arabia. He accompanied the then-Governor of SWCC
on a visit to Japan
in 1975 to encourage Japanese shipyards, then suffering from a lack of tanker-building business in the wake of constrained oil demand, to enter into the business of manufacturing large-scale, multi-stage flash desalination plants. In 1977, he assisted Hitachi Zosen in negotiating a technical assistance and patent license agreement with Westinghouse Electric for MSF desalination technology, and subsequently in winning major contracts. In the early 1990s, he assisted U.S. companies in settling contractual disputes with the Saudi Government, including Westinghouse’s claims on the Hail
and Qassim Gas Turbine
power plants.
Foreign Reports
Foreign Reports Inc. is a Washington, D.C.-based consulting firm for the oil industry, founded in 1956. advises energy companies, governments, and financial institutions on world energy issues, with a specialization on the Middle East...
Inc., a consulting firm founded in 1956 to provide political reporting and analysis for the oil industry. He has been with the firm since 1972, becoming Vice President in 1975 and President in 1990. His company advises energy companies, governments, and financial institutions on world energy issues, with a specialization on the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
.
Education
Kern received his Bachelor of Arts in Near Eastern Studies from Princeton UniversityPrinceton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
in 1972. During his undergraduate studies, he also attended the University of Riyadh from 1970 to 1971 as the first non-Arab student.
Career
Nat Kern is an acknowledged expert on Middle Eastern oil affairs, with a particular emphasis on the Persian GulfPersian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
Besides directing and writing the firm’s analyses and reports, he also has managerial responsibility for the firm’s other senior professionals. He has had a variety of hands-on experience in the region and has traveled widely throughout it.
Kern has been a featured speaker on Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
energy matters at numerous industry conferences in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Riyadh
Riyadh
Riyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of Riyadh Province, and belongs to the historical regions of Najd and Al-Yamama. It is situated in the center of the Arabian Peninsula on a large plateau, and is home to 5,254,560 people, and the urban center of a...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
, Dallas, Houston, and Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
. He was also co-editor of "Petroleum Politics" in the early 1990s, a quarterly publication which provided an in-depth analysis of world oil markets. He has been featured on many U.S. and Arab news broadcasting channels, interviewed by both international and national newspapers, and has written for a variety of political and oil industry publications.
Work on Iraq
Kern was a frequent visitor to IraqIraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
during the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war
Iran-Iraq War
The Iran–Iraq War was an armed conflict between the armed forces of Iraq and Iran, lasting from September 1980 to August 1988, making it the longest conventional war of the twentieth century...
, at a time when U.S.-Iraqi relations were improving, and was tasked by the U.S. government with maintaining ties with certain key Iraqi officials from 1991 onwards, at a time when the U.S. government maintained a policy of shunning any official contact with the Iraqi government.
He has written extensively for a variety of publications on the future of Iraqi oil production following the invasion of Kuwait
Invasion of Kuwait
The Invasion of Kuwait, also known as the Iraq-Kuwait War, was a major conflict between the Republic of Iraq and the State of Kuwait, which resulted in the seven-month long Iraqi occupation of Kuwait, which subsequently led to direct military intervention by United States-led forces in the Gulf...
, correctly anticipating that Saddam
Saddam
–Saddam is an Arabic name which means "One who confronts", other meanings include: "One who frequently causes collisions", "Powerful collider", "One who causes a collision that had bad results", "Powerful confronter", "One who frequently crashes", or "Powerful commander"...
would remain in power and that sanctions
International sanctions
International sanctions are actions taken by countries against others for political reasons, either unilaterally or multilaterally.There are several types of sanctions....
would continue for more than a decade thereafter. Prior to the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, he provided detailed analysis of the difficulties the U.S. would face in the post-invasion phase and of the dire state of the Iraqi oil industry, while his firm pinpointed the consequences of major decisions made by the Coalition Provisional Authority
Coalition Provisional Authority
The Coalition Provisional Authority was established as a transitional government following the invasion of Iraq by the United States and its allies, members of the Multi-National Force – Iraq which was formed to oust the government of Saddam Hussein in 2003...
, which are now, but were not at the time, credited with contributing to the failure to achieve post-war stability.
Kern continues to write on Iraqi political developments as well as on the status of Iraq's oil industry.
Work on Saudi Arabia
Kern has organized a series of senior-level U.S. delegations to Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
since 2000.
Beginning in 1997, he worked closely with the Government of Saudi Arabia in laying the groundwork for the Saudi Gas Initiative aimed at opening Saudi Arabia’s hydrocarbon resources to foreign investment. He also worked with the U.S. companies participating in the subsequent proposals on developing major gas projects. Kern's role in the Initiative is documented in David Ottaway's new book, The King's Messenger.
In the late 1970s and 1980s, Kern worked with major contractors from around the world in responding to tenders
Request for tender
A request for tender, commonly abbreviated to RFT, is a formal, structured invitation to suppliers for the supply of products or services. In the public sector, such a process may be required and determined in detail by law to ensure that such competition for the use of public money is open, fair...
for the supply of power generation and water desalination
Desalination
Desalination, desalinization, or desalinisation refers to any of several processes that remove some amount of salt and other minerals from saline water...
equipment to theSaline Water Conversion Corporation] (SWCC) of Saudi Arabia. He accompanied the then-Governor of SWCC
SWCC
SWCC can mean: -* Second World Climate Conference* Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewmen...
on a visit to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in 1975 to encourage Japanese shipyards, then suffering from a lack of tanker-building business in the wake of constrained oil demand, to enter into the business of manufacturing large-scale, multi-stage flash desalination plants. In 1977, he assisted Hitachi Zosen in negotiating a technical assistance and patent license agreement with Westinghouse Electric for MSF desalination technology, and subsequently in winning major contracts. In the early 1990s, he assisted U.S. companies in settling contractual disputes with the Saudi Government, including Westinghouse’s claims on the Hail
Hail
Hail is a form of solid precipitation. It consists of balls or irregular lumps of ice, each of which is referred to as a hail stone. Hail stones on Earth consist mostly of water ice and measure between and in diameter, with the larger stones coming from severe thunderstorms...
and Qassim Gas Turbine
Gas turbine
A gas turbine, also called a combustion turbine, is a type of internal combustion engine. It has an upstream rotating compressor coupled to a downstream turbine, and a combustion chamber in-between....
power plants.