Caspian Report - Issue: 07 - Spring 2014

fields they refer to, the threats can be
of economic, military, ecological, etc.
extraction. Extrapolated to energy,
the definition of energy security is
more complex since energy itself is
an all-subsuming category. Nothing
exists that is not energy or is not affected
by energy. 19 Energy influences
and is influenced by everything
ranging from geopolitics, economics,
environment, to our everyday existence.
In that respect it is sought by
states, as guarantors of free and reliable
access to energy resources, and
by individuals, as end consumers of
those energy resources.
In seeking to ensure energy security,
states either take a hands-on approach
or step back, allowing markets
to regulate and guarantee the
flow of resources. Different attitudes
stem from the way in which states
perceive various threats to their energy
security. As Waever notes, in
naming a certain development a security
problem, the state can claim
a special right, one that will, in the
final instance be defined by the state
and its elite. 20 In this context, if the
geopolitical factor is deemed a risk
to energy security, states, as quintessentially
geopolitical actors, may
assume exclusive authority over the
provision of energy security and the
actions associated with it.
True to its laissez-faire philosophy,
the US stepped back, allowing the
market to handle risks as well as the
delivery of energy resources, - its
natural gas market being one of the
most developed and competitive in
the world. Other countries, such as
China or Russia went in opposite direction
as their governments (either
themselves or through state-owned
companies) took centre stage in underwriting
energy security.
Yet, the idea that risks are minimised
if states engage in bilateral relations
is challenged by at least two
examples.
Firstly, the EU succeeded in reducing
its vulnerability to political shocks
by putting in place reliable infrastructure,
pushing for greater market
integration, and, not least, by allowing
markets to take control of the
supply-demand balance. As a result,
even though Ukraine still represents
one of the main transit routes for
Russian gas supplies into Western
Europe, the fall-out from the current
standoff between Kiev and Moscow
is likely to have a smaller impact
than it would have had in 2009 or
2006 during the Russia-Ukraine gas
wars.
Secondly, as the current Russia-
Ukraine crisis proves, state-to-state
relations may leave countries exposed
to volatile political environments.
There are numerous other examples
that support this argument,
for example the interruption of oil
or gas supplies from Iraq or Iran to
Turkey in the aftermath of political
disputes between or involving these
countries.
43
CASPIAN REPORT, SPRING 2014
19.
Ciuta, F., (April 2010), “Conceptual Notes on Energy Security: Total or Banal Security” in Security
Dialogue 2010 41:123
20.
Waever, O., (1995) ibid, p.54