Oil Diplomacy

Abstract

For more than one hundred years, oil has been a uniquely important commodity in world affairs. Petroleum is a vital raw material for modern warfare and economic development, but its uneven distribution around the world means that some nations are oil‐rich and others are oil‐poor. Petroleum is also relatively portable compared to other hydrocarbon energy sources such as coal or natural gas, and a great deal of oil is traded internationally. As a result, petroleum has often been the focus of international diplomacy as nations seek to secure oil supplies through trade, diplomacy, or armed conquest, and to control other nations' access to oil through trade deals and economic sanctions. This entry provides a brief introduction to oil diplomacy, along with a historical overview of oil and international relations since the beginning of the twentieth century.

Risky Business? Evaluating Hydrogen Partnerships Established by Germany, The Netherlands, and Belgium

“…While the term "energy diplomacy" is widely used in various academic and nonacademic contexts, there is no universally accepted definition of the concept. Instead, scholars have used different terms such as "oil diplomacy" [3,4], "petropolitics" [5], "pipeline politics" [6], or "petroleum geopolitics" [7] to describe diplomatic efforts related to obtaining energy resources. In an attempt to obtain a general definition of energy diplomacy, Goldthau defines energy diplomacy as "the use of foreign policy to secure access to energy supplies abroad and to promote (mostly bilateral, that is, government to government) cooperation in the energy sector".…”

“…In summary, energy diplomacy is closely intertwined with geopolitics and national security concerns and is, therefore, frequently linked with a nation's foreign or security policies [3]. Bovan et al see this securitization of energy policy [14,15] as a result of the growing energy demand and (over)dependence of modern consumers on energy resources [16].…”