The new geopolitics of energy

Energy geopolitics have often been at the root of major conflicts

The Russian “relationship” with Ukraine can be viewed through many prisms. Russia has annexed a large chunk of its territory (the Crimea) in 2014 and is currently attempting to annex more (Donetsk and Luhansk). The rationale has included harking back to medieval history, with references to millennia-long cultural and ethnic ties.

Russia’s willingness to risk a large-scale “special military operation” is buttressed by calculations based on energy geopolitics. Changes in Western Europe’s energy mix were triggered by a natural disaster in Japan, 11 years ago, and that gave Russia increased leverage versus the European Union (EU) and the North Atlantic Treaty