In an era when geography no longer insulates nations from distant conflicts, Australia finds itself acutely exposed to the tremors of Middle Eastern instability. Energy Minister Chris Bowen travels to Saudi Arabia to meet Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, seeking to secure petroleum supplies for a country that imports more than four-fifths of what it burns. The journey is both a diplomatic act and an admission — that in a world of entangled dependencies, energy security must be actively tended, not assumed.