Biography
Joe Barnes is the Bonner Means Baker Fellow at the Baker Institute. Since coming to Rice University in 1995, he has written extensively on international economics, with a focus on the geopolitics of energy. In addition to numerous institute studies, Barnes’ work has also appeared in The New York Times, the Houston Chronicle, Survival, Oil and Gas Journal, Energy Markets, the Newsletter of the Royal United Services Institute, the SAIS Policy Forum Series and the National Interest. He is a contributor to three volumes: “Energy in the Caspian Region” (Palgrave Press), “United States Tax Reform in the 21st Century” (Cambridge University Press) and “Natural Gas and Geopolitics from 1970 to 2040” (Cambridge University Press).
Barnes is also faculty advisor to the Baker Institute Student Forum. From 1979 to 1993, he was a career diplomat with the U.S. State Department, serving in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and South Asia. His last assignment in the State Department was with the Policy Planning Staff. Barnes is a graduate of Princeton University.
Contact him at [email protected] or 713-376-4496.
Recent Publications
A Tough Decision on Afghanistan
What Rick Perry Was Doing in Ukraine
A Russian link to anti-fracking groups?
External Publications
- “Trump’s Trip to Saudi Arabia: High Stakes, Low Expectations,” The Hill, May 20, 2017.
- “Donald Trump vs. the ‘Blob’,” National Interest, August 14, 2016.
- “Nuclear Agreement With Iran Is a Done Deal, at Least for Now,” The Hill, November 18, 2015.
- “U.S. Foreign Policy at a Crossroads, Looking Forward and Back,” The Hill, March 16, 2015.
- “Obama's AUMF Is Largely Meaningless, but a Good Idea Anyway,” The Hill, February 25, 2015.
- “The Importance of Getting to ‘Yes’ on a Nuclear Deal With Iran,” The Hill, November 11, 2014.
- “When It Comes to Geopolitics, We’re Still (Largely) Living in the 19th Century,” The Hill, September 15, 2014.
- “Failed Energy Policy Bills Represent Missed Opportunity,” Houston Chronicle, June 18, 2014.
- “Iranian Nuclear Pact No Big Deal for Houston - Yet,” Houston Chronicle, November 29, 2013.
- “Is There a Dime’s Worth of Difference Between Romney and Obama on Foreign Policy?,” Austin American-Statesman, October 9, 2012.
- “U.S. Can Weather a Sharp Jump in Price of Oil,” Houston Chronicle, March 4, 2012.
- “Government Can Stimulate Demand,” Houston Chronicle, July 25, 2011.
- “The Art of Diplomacy, 20 Years After Berlin Wall Fell,” Houston Chronicle, November 9, 2009.
- “America Ignoring Its Own Advice for Handling Crisis,” Houston Chronicle, April 19, 2009.
- “The Persian Gulf and the Geopolitics of Oil,” Survival Journal, July 19, 2006.
- “Are We Really Addicted to Oil?,” Houston Chronicle, February 5, 2006.