Poisoned by Gas: Energy Dependence in East-Central Europe

Please join us for a talk with Emily Holland, Ph.D candidate in Political Science at Columbia University.

While we expect states to pursue energy independence from foreign suppliers as a first priority, in fact many states do not do so. The oil crisis of the 1970s fundamentally transformed US foreign policy, yet despite two major crises in the span of three years Ukraine did not reduce its substantial dependence on Russian energy. Why do some East and Central European states seek energy independence as a primary objective while others remain highly dependent on a foreign partner for their domestic energy supplies? I argue that states that failed to substantially reform their property rights regime following the collapse of the Soviet Union are unable to pursue radical transformations of their energy security policy. In this talk I present new evidence garnered from long-term contracts governing the sale and transport of natural gas across borders and discuss the case of Ukraine.