Energy Security And The Future Of Northeast Asia

A new look at the different perspectives on energy security policies of European and Asian countries. The book explains the reasons for the failure of EU common energy policies and the deficiencies in the policies towards Central Asia. It examines Chinese energy diplomacy, and the possibility of energy competition and cooperation in Northeast Asia.

Drawing on cutting-edge research from leading scholars, this book investigates state preferences for regime creation and assesses state capacity for executing these preferences in Northeast Asia’s energy domain, defined as the geographical area comprising the following countries: Russia, Mongolia, China, Japan, South Korea and North Korea. It examines questions pertaining to how states perceive the need and necessity for establishing a regime when it comes to the issue of energy and how much commitment they make to the effort in Northeast Asia. The book analyses the factors that shape each country’s fundamental energy interests in the region, how these interests impact their attitudes toward engaging the region on energy security and the way they carry out their regional engagement. Based on countries’ interests in promoting institutionalized regional energy cooperation and their capacity for forging that cooperation, the collection assesses each state’s role in contributing to an energy regime in Northeast Asia. It then concludes with a critique on the decade-plus quest for energy security cooperation in Northeast Asia and suggests ways forward for facilitating regional energy security cooperation. This book will be of great interest to scholars and students of environmental policy, energy policy, security studies, Asian studies and international relations.

This book explores East Asia’s and the Asia Pacific’s energy security exploring key issues including major trans-border energy projects, major country’s energy mix policy, trans- border pipelines, LNG transfer between nations, balance of power relations between major powers, the North Korean energy situation, energy alliances, Belt and Road Initiative, Indo-Pacific Strategy, World Choke point and more. In particular, this book provides the detailed analysis of the current problems of energy security and diplomacy among various countries as well as policy implications. It will clearly serve as a manual to enhance energy security in the region and boost energy transaction as well as the pioneering step to conceptualize the notion of energy security among political circles, in the diplomatic community and energy industry as well as international relations academics.

Many states appear to have strong sentiment on energy security and energy transit vulnerability. Some analysts see the rapidly increasing demand for energy and competition for energy resources leading to nationalistic energy policies. Others argue that global trends with efficient energy markets and growing options on renewables suggest more relaxed energy outlooks. This book focuses on Asia, where global demand for energy is now concentrated in the aspiring and rising powers of the region: China, India, Japan and South Korea, and also recognises the importance of Russia as a growing energy supplier. Contributions by experts in the field provide detailed and parallel case studies. Shedding light on the ongoing debate in the literature regarding energy outlooks of major Asian states, they analyse whether energy policies are expected to evolve along market oriented cooperative lines or more competitive and even destructive mercantile, nationalist lines. The book argues that states are not unitary actors even in the key energy security arena and there are competing and contrasting viewpoints in Asian states on energy security. It suggests that domestic debates structure thinking on energy security, making energy policy more contingent than assumed by purely market or geopolitical logics. Providing a strong contribution to comparative energy security studies, the book fills an important gap in the literature on energy and national security and offers a basis for conducting further inter-state, interactive analysis. It will be of interest to researchers on Asian Studies, energy politics and international relations.

This book explores the various dimensions of energy security in Asia - which has become an increasingly important geopolitical issue. Reputable international contributors look at the roles played by each of the major energy importers: the United States, China, Japan and India, as well as the main suppliers: the OPEC states, Russia, the Central Asian states and Australia. In each case, the domestic politics of energy security are investigated, and state interests and perspectives on the issue are considered. Analyzing the policy and security aspects of energy security, the book includes an examination of: the geopolitics of energy competition strategic, economic and environmental dimensions the impacts of energy security on human security. With energy security being one of the central issues facing the world today, this book is a timely and impressive appraisal of the major energy security issues facing Asia.

As energy has become one of the crucial factors in ensuring the economic growth and the sustainable development of people, nations, societies and, ultimately, human civilisation in the 21st century global scenario, there is a pressing need for treating energy as a strategic commodity and for analysing national, regional and global strategies concerning energy. This is an attempt to debate and discuss various facets -- economic, technological and political -- of such strategies, and at the same time, to encompass concepts, like energy security and energy diplomacy, that form significant components of such strategies. Strategising of energy is an issue that is inextricably linked with the domestic and foreign policies of a nation or a region, and it is characteristically futuristic, as strategies are supposed to be made with a long-term perspective. Contemporary Asian realities serve as the perspective of such an analysis for several reasons. Asia is the home of two fast growing and energy-thirsty countries like China and India, as well as Japan and the ASEAN countries. There are at least three energy-producing regions in Asia that are crucial for global energy security, like West Asia, the traditional one, two upcoming regions of Central Asia and the area around South China Sea. The Indian Ocean is one of the most important energy transit routes for international energy transport. Even the smallest disruption in the production and transport-chain of energy within Asia has the potential of upsetting the global energy balance. This volume attempts to focus on a number of significant issues concerning the theme of strategising of energy. Contributors analyse, debate and discuss the questions from different viewpoints and different angles. Thus, this volume represents a wide spectrum of views—from a scientist’s vision of a world with cleaner energy, to the strategist’s comments on solutions to national energy issues; from journalists’ views on the development of governmental policies on energy, to academicians’ analyses of regional energy strategies; and from historians’ analyses of the restructuring of the national energy infrastructure and the re-prioritising of national energy strategies, to debates on national, regional as well as maritime energy strategies by specialists on international relations.

In this book, leading experts from seven countries-- Japan, Russia, China, the United States, South Korea, Taiwan, and Malaysia-- assess security concerns over East Asian energy imports, particularly from the Middle East.