The Changing Geopolitics of Energy: It's Essential for States to Update Their Energy Policies

By Robert F. Cekuta   

Energy security is integral to the national security of the United States and to countries around the world. Russia’s weaponization of natural gas, the impacts of the war in Ukraine on NATO and other allies and partners, China and India’s economic rise, the move to renewables and the resulting expanding demand for rare earths and other critical materials have significantly expanded what the U.S. and other governments need to consider and act upon to ensure their citizens and economies have the energy they need, when they need it, and at a price they can afford.

It is not clear whether governments fully recognize the changes underway in the global energy picture and the impacts of those changes on a country’s national security. As a result, governments can fall behind in revising the policies for advancing their energy security, leaving them open to a variety of threats. It is essential Washington and other capitals recognize and take into account this widening spectrum of factors and revise their policies and actions to advance their energy security, and thus their foreign policy and other national security interests. Old thinking and old policies are no longer sufficient.

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The full essay can be viewed here: https://bakudialogues.ada.edu.az/media/2023/10/13/bd-v7-n1-fall-2023_chakuta.pdf

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Robert F. Cekuta is Senior Adjunct Professor at the School of International Service of American University. He is a former U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan (2015–2018) who, in addition to having held other positions in the U.S. State Department, served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Resources (2011–2014). The views expressed in this essay are his own.