WILLEMSTAD – Former Suriname ambassador to the Netherlands, Rajendre Khargi, is warning that a fundamental shift in the international energy market could have serious consequences for Suriname and the wider Caribbean region.
In a new column published by Chronos Times, Khargi argues that the global oil market is becoming increasingly vulnerable as the traditional reserve production capacity of major oil-producing countries comes under pressure.
Under the title “Not Riyadh, but Houston,” Khargi describes how the strategic buffer of the global oil supply is, according to him, increasingly shifting toward the United States — particularly to Houston, where a significant portion of American oil infrastructure is concentrated.
According to Khargi, that buffer itself is also becoming strained at a time when geopolitical tensions and disruptions to global trade routes continue to increase.
He warns that for small import-dependent economies in Suriname and the Caribbean, this is not merely a theoretical risk but a development that could directly impact fuel prices, inflation, transportation costs, and broader economic stability.
Khargi states that concerns are reportedly growing within parts of the energy sector about the period around September, when several international developments affecting the oil market may converge simultaneously.
The former ambassador places his analysis within the broader context of geopolitical instability, uncertainty in global oil supplies, and growing dependence on a limited number of strategic energy hubs.
According to him, policymakers in the Caribbean region are still paying insufficient attention to the structural vulnerability of small economies that rely heavily on imported fuel.
The warning comes at a time when global energy security has once again become a major international concern due to continuing tensions in the Middle East, disruptions in international shipping routes, and uncertainty surrounding worldwide oil reserves.
For islands such as Curaçao, where fuel imports play a central role in electricity production, transportation, and the overall cost of living, fluctuations in global energy markets can rapidly affect consumers and businesses alike.