Central European Journal of International and Security Studies

The Political Economy of Energy Security and Nuclear Energy in Jordan

Abstract: In 2007 the Jordanian government announced its intention to build one nuclear power plant by 2015 and a number of others by 2030. The objective of this nuclear energy programme was to provide a sustainable domestic energy supply and relieve the burden of reliance on external energy sources. This burden has led to a massive strain on the government budget as well as domestic discontent, due to rising living costs which has negatively affected regime stability - this latter point is especially important in light of the current [...]

By Imad El-Anis

Moldova’s Political Self and the Energy Conundrum in the Context of the European Neighbourhood Policy

Abstract: This article employs a method of discourse analysis from a social constructivist perspective to evidence the emergence and stabilisation of a discourse of sovereignty in Moldova over the last decades. Within this context, it also explores the meaning of Transnistria and energy security for Moldova’s political ontology. The argument builds on the premise that the discourse of sovereignty signals a collective Moldovan subjectivity expressing its standing in the regional context. The main hypothesis tested is that, if determined to opt [...]

By Cătălin GOMBOŞ and Dragoş C. MATEESCU

Worth the Energy? The Geopolitics of Arctic Oil and Gas

Abstract: Climate change is literally and metaphorically bringing the Arctic in from the cold in international affairs with new economic opportunities emerging with the retreat of the ice sheets. Prominent amongst these is the prospect of previously inaccessible oil and gas sources in the High North becoming available for extraction. A spate of extended maritime claims by the states of the region and some high profile diplomatic posturing has prompted much anticipation of a new scramble of resources and even a new, more literal Cold War. The [...]

By Peter Hough

The Impacts of International Aid on the Energy Security of Small Island Developing States (SIDS): A case Study of Tuvalu

Abstract: Tuvalu is a small island developing state (SID) with least developed country (LDC) status. The island has gained international attention due to the threat to its land territory as a result of climate change and subsequent sea-level rises. At the United Nations Climate Change Conference, held in Copenhagen in December 2009, Tuvalu was described as being at serious risk of becoming the first state to become uninhabitable due to the impacts of climate change. The majority of climate change scientists agree that a key driver of climate [...]

By Sarah Hemstock and Roy Smith

NATO, Discourse, Community and Energy Security

Abstract: This work analyses the relationship NATO has been constructing through its Strategic Concepts (1999 and 2010) between the military alliance and the “world-word” of energy security. Both NATO Strategic Concepts are viewed as meta-narratives which have been constructed to re-invent a role for NATO after the implosion of the USSR and with the aim to reinforce a sense of NATO community in a period of critical security threats. Despite NATO’s continuous use of the term “security,” without providing a clear definition, through the [...]

By Giovanni Ercolani

Uncovering North Korea’s Energy Security Dilemma: Past Policies, Present Choices, Future Opportunities

Abstract: Over the past two decades, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) has allegedly developed nuclear energy while suffering near collapse caused by catastrophic economic policies. This work presents an evaluation of North Korea’s contemporary energy policies and stances and suggests that despite holding onto communist ideals and “Chu’che” policies, North Korea has slowly begun to modernise its energy sector and recognises the necessity to start engaging with the international community. While it is argued that [...]

By Virginie Grzelczyk

The Controversy of Putin’s Energy Policy: The Problem of Foreign Investment and Long-Term Development of Russia’s Energy Sector

Abstract: This work evaluates the long-term effects of Putin’s energy policy on the development of the Russian energy sector from the perspective of Critical Security Studies. One of the concerns related to recent developments of the Russian energy sector is the increasing level of governmental control over energy production and the limitations imposed on both domestic private producers and foreign investors. This policy has resulted in a lack of investment in the development of new oil and gas fields and in the upgrading of infrastructure. [...]

By Olga Khrushcheva

Poland's Quiet Revolution: The Unfolding of Shale Gas Exploration and its Discontents in Pomerania

Abstract: This research highlights the unraveling of Poland’s shale gas revolution and analyses the structural problems faced by villagers who oppose testing, drilling, wildcatting, and the production of shale gas in their rural communities in northern Poland. I argue that the bed-fellowship between global energy, oil, and gas companies and the Polish government have ignored villagers’ complaints and excluded the public from discussions on shale gas exploration and its ecological effects. Due to the lack government-sanctioned legal [...]

By Edyta Materka

eContributions

Viktor Yushchenko’s Legacy: Ukraine’s Missed Chance

In 1985 Mikhail Gorbachev came to power with the goal of reforming the stagnating and, by that time, already crumbling Soviet Union. He was unlike anyone preceding him; young, energetic, charismatic. No wonder he soon gained respect in the West. Sick and tired of old, corrupt, murky, permanently...

Editor's Desk

Bahrain in Context

Owing to its physical size (691 kms²), its proximity to the Persian Gulf littoral’s most aspiring actors (notably Saudi Arabia at 60 kms and Iran at 300 kms), and growing sectarianism between the Sunni and Shia’ communities, the Kingdom of Bahrain occupies an extremely vulnerable, yet...

Foreign News Service

News Services

Contributing to OpenSource information related to Central European security, CEJISS is proud to announce two quarterly newspapers; in Czech and Russian, as a renewed drive to provide reliable analysis of the events which shape our common present. ...

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