Analysis of Europe's Concern about Russia's Instrumental Use of Energy

Document Type : Research

Author

PhD student of of International Relations, Political Sciences Detp., Faculty of Law and Political Sciences, Gilan University, Gilan, Iran.

Abstract

The high consumption and the increasing need of the European Union to import energy, especially from Russia, as the largest owner of gas resources in the world, has caused Moscow to use energy resources as a strategic lever to rebuild its empire and advance the Kremlin's policies towards Brussels. This has caused the security of sources and energy supply routes to be of great importance for Europe. In this regard, Europe has tried to reduce its vulnerability in this issue by diversifying these sources and routes, which has caused Europe to pay special attention to the South Caucasus region. Thus, the present study aims to analyze Europe's concerns about Russia's instrumental use of energy based on the components and indicators of energy security. This study will seek to answer the main question, what is Europe's concern about Russia's instrumental use of energy? The research hypothesis is that the European Union's concern about Russia's monopoly on the energy resources of Central Asia and the Caucasus; and on the one hand, the Kremlin's use of energy as a powerful weapon to advance its political and economic goals towards Europe, has a strategic impact on energy security. and the possibility of jeopardizing the national security of the Union; Therefore, in order to get rid of the crippling dependence on Russian energy sources and ensure high energy security, the Brussels authorities are trying to replace and diversify the imported oil and gas baskets isolating Moscow in the energy market, increasing the bargaining power and helping European to act in regional and international equations. The results showed that Pursuing the policy of diversification and reducing Russia's monopoly on the energy market of the region will lead to greater independence of Europe in energy decisions and policies and the promotion of Europe's power and international status while reducing threats to energy security. The method used in this article is descriptive-analytical.

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References

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International Political Economy Studies
Volume 5, Issue 2
December 2022
Pages 477-518

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History

  • Receive Date: 25 May 2022
  • Revise Date: 07 November 2022
  • Accept Date: 16 November 2022

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