Abstract
The article considers the main theoretical approaches to the definition of the concept of energy security, analyzes the work of the authors devoted to the study of the problems of ensuring energy security. The article also examines the relationship between energy security and national security.
Throughout history, strategic resources have provided the dynamic development of the state, in other words, its existence and security. Energy security has decisive role in determining people’s living standards and quality, conducting active external and internal policies and ensuring overall national security. Although governments and academics have always emphasized the importance of energy security, no consensus has been reached on the concept of «energy security». As a result, there are several definitions of energy security. The terms «energy supply security» or «energy security» are very blurred by Andreas Löschel. While one academician states that the concept is “slippery”, others emphasize the “lack of consensus” on the definition of the concept[1]. Confusion over energy security also appears in the setting of policy objectives. Traditionally, the US’s energy security has focused on getting rid of political exposures. As a result, attention to energy independence and renewable energy sources has been increased by the state.
One sees the goal of energy security as protection against fluctuations in the price of goods and services for the poor. Others emphasize that in the event of scarcity of energy resources, the economy must be protected by allowing energy prices to fluctuate so that the supply of energy is interrupted. For some, energy security is fuel security for the economy and national security through nuclear energy.The absence of a common definition is transformed into an umbrella term that encompasses many different political goals of energy security. Regarding this aspect of the concept of energy security, Joskow commented: “There is a fact that has not changed since the early 1970s. If there is no rational reason for the necessity of a particular political enterprise, it must be argued that this political enterprise is aimed at ensuring energy security[2]. “ In the following, the concept of energy security will be examined from different angles to distinguish energy security from other political goals and to provide conceptual clarity in the rational political decisions. At first, the classical definition of the concept that links energy security to “security of supply” in the academic and political environment will be evaluated. Then, classical recognition, ie “security of supply”, will be discussed, as well as the views that include some variables. Thirdly, the approach that attaches importance to the services and economic activities obtained from these sources will be discussed rather than the energy security’s uninterruptedness. Finally, the three types of definitions we have previously considered will be evaluated in terms of states that play different roles in international energy systems, such as energy importers, energy exporters and transit states in international energy relations.
The first group of authors see energy security in the continuity of supply of energy resources. As we shall see later, the continuity of supply of energy resources or “supply security” is at the center of all energy security definitions. As an example of recognition in the first category, the UK’s Energy and Climate Change Department’s recommendation can be taken: “Energy security is low risk of interruption of energy supply.” Scheepers and Ölz, Sims, Kirchner also propose definitions with the same meaning. Winzer has suggested a more technical form of the same identification. According to him, in technical studies, “low risk of interruption” means “reliability”[3]. Despite the idea of security of supply, Winzer’s proposal makes emphasis “system competence”. “Reliability” refers to the ability of the Winzer energy sources to withstand the interruptions in the energy supply, rather than the low risk.
The common feature of the first group of security definitions is that they link a relative energy scarcity to the state of insecurity. Another common denominator is the neglect of price variability resulting from supply interruption or other reasons. The cost of energy security is the subject of such definitions, since it will require certain expenditures to be taken in front of the supply interruption. However, since the price change situation is not considered in such definitions, the determination of the resulting cost of providing security is problematic. The calculation system for the cost of increasing the security of supply on the solution of this problem has been established by Bagen and Billinton.
As for the views proposed by the second group of authors, which include classical recognition as well as some variables, one of the most common is the definition proposed by the International Energy Agency (UEA). According to the UEA, energy security is the physical existence of energy resources that meet the demand. “According to this definition, the lack of energy security, together with the interruptions in energy supply, exceeds the price level of energy. What we need to pay attention here is to specify the ceiling of the energy price. Another definition from the same air is Robert Mabro’s suggestion: “The lack of energy security increases the incentive to break up or cut off this energy supply[4].” Another of the details of classical recognition is the degree of certainty of the interruption of energy supply. The advantage of such an approach is that, through the use of extra criteria, short-term energy supply interruptions that do not affect the safety of the state are ignored. As for their shortcomings; Most importantly, this approach makes the security concept difficult and “loose” to calculate. According to the states, the level of insecurity and the severity of the interruption of energy supply may differ.
The third group of authors emphasizes the importance of energy security in the absence of supply security to the conclusions that will bring economies and national security in general. Such definitions do not focus on energy supply and price quantities, but concentrate on the definition of energy security as the safety of services obtained through energy and on the overall economic effects. Assessing the economic effects of the lack of energy security, Bohi states: “The lack of energy security can be defined as the loss of prosperity caused by changes in the level of the resulting price.
Energy importer countries naturally keep the security of energy supply on the first pages of their political agenda. With the definition given by the UEA we refer to above, the reason linkage of these international members is that most of them are energy importing countries. According to the definition given by the EU in 2001, which is one of the international actors that imports the largest energy:
“The European Union’s long-term strategy for the security of energy supply aimed at promoting the welfare of its citizens, ensuring the smooth operation of the economy, prices affordable to all consumers, and taking into account the cleanliness of nature” [5].
Most academic studies have looked at energy security in terms of energy importing states. The energy security proposed by the United Nations also emphasizes supply security. However, energy security by many energy exporting states is defined as the energy flow that triggers the development of the economy together with new investments and occurs at a reasonable price. Russia is one of the actors who constantly voices the importance of energy demand for energy security. At the G8 meeting in 2006, Putin argued that policies involving the security of energy supply should also provide for stable energy demand[6].
As you can see, all definitions of energy security are built around the security of energy supply. Similar to the states that import and export energy, transit states also regard supply security as a core of the concept. One of the reasons for this is that energy transit states must be energy importer states by the end of the month. To summarize, all the concepts of energy security contain the idea that there is a low possibility of interruptions or interruptions in energy supply. Some authors try to limit the definition of energy security by adding new criteria. The most important of these new details comes from the changing energy price level, which is the result of discontinuities in energy resources. Another very important detail is the definition of the “insecurity” of energy security by the description. This approach attaches great importance to the negative effects of the interruptions in energy supply, which are usually caused by economic performance. Since all these threats are difficult to calculate at the same time, the authors add new details to the understanding, either directly or indirectly. These details mainly consist of the source of the threat to energy security, the effects of the damage and the certainty. The main reason for changing the concept of energy security from country to country stems from the roles that states play in the international energy market. While energy importing countries emphasize supply security, energy exporting countries also attach importance to energy demand.
Since the concept of energy security is used in many political rhetoric, threats or values belonging to other security areas are usually taken into account. The above criteria and details characterize energy security as a separate rational political goal. Limitation of the concept by the authors by detailed criteria has been made to prevent double counting of security threats. The identification of energy safety must be carried out according to the purpose of operation, as in all safety aspects.
Energy Security and National Power Relation
Before talking about the relationship between energy security and national power, concepts of “power” and “national power” should be defined. Similar to the concept of security, many identification efforts have evolved from conceptual analysis to empirical analysis, although the description of power concept is very much in the literature. In order to avoid this mistake, conceptual ambiguity about the subject should be removed from the beginning.
Three articles have been proposed for the definition of power in the study of the extent of national power in the post-industrial world by Tellis, Bially and Layne. In the first issue, authors have argued that the power implies “the allocation of resources”. Since the pattern of the nature of the resources is not determined here, it is understood that there may be any resources. The second item about dubiousness is “ability to use” the resources we have already mentioned. The last item is based on the power of resistance used by the subject of power used. Here we are talking about the determination to use force. The approach used in the analysis of the concept of power taken from Boudon and Bourricaud’s thoughts is consistent with definitions that are common in social sciences[7].
Once the definition of the concept of power is explained, it becomes easier to explain the concept of national power. As the national word implies, the concept of power is associated with a social formation. Padelford and Lincoln stand out in terms of definitions that have common points in the social sciences. For them, the national power is a combination of “power and power used to achieve national interests and objectives”. In another definition proposed by Organski, national power is assessed as “the ability to influence the behavior of others in the direction of national interests”. To summarize briefly, the common point of these definitions lie in being able to control the behavior of others at a certain level in order to obtain national interests.
When it comes to the size of the national power, it is considered to be five elements according to the most common version: military power, political power, economic power, socio-cultural power, demographic power. Some of the evaluations in this area include the level of technological development and geographical strategic power. The point that combines these elements is that the superiority of any of them is the national power.
When it comes to the link between energy security and national power, there is a right relationship between the two. Energy security is an inseparable part of military and economic security, as we are in our analysis of the concept of energy security. In other words, it is necessary for the state to use its military power and to provide energy security for the economy to work. The importance of energy in achieving national power is the same as the power of national strength in ensuring energy security. If the debate about the prospect of national power is based on the establishment of the first states, the concept of energy security is very young compared to it. However, despite the historical differences in the formation of the two concepts, it is clear that there is a right relationship between national power and energy security, when one looks at the efforts of governments to access hydrocarbon energy sources that are less equitable in terms of cost and operating costs.
Energy Security and National Security
In analyzing the concept of security, it has been emphasized that in order to get rid of the ambiguity usually encountered in the definition of a concept, the details that contribute to the understanding of the controversial subject should be included. The relationship between energy security and national security will be acted upon in this principle in order to avoid the conceptual conflict. In general, security is defined as the security of the interests of the individual, society and the state. The vital interests are seen as the sum of the demands that make the surviving security object survive and evolve. It is understood from this that the level of safety indicates the level at which certain values are protected from threats.
As EvgeniyDubrovin and Igor Dubrovin proposed, the lack of a single, accepted definition of the concept of energy security poses difficulties in understanding its nature[7]. In such cases, the method generally used is comparative analysis. Through this method, a comparison of energy security with national security concept will be made.
When two types of security are examined using conceptual and empirical approaches, it is understood that there is a structural link between the two. From the perspective of energy security structure, it is seen that a national security system is a subordinate, element or structural union. When energy security is examined in terms of “energy interests”, “energy threats” and “energy conservation” elements, or when it is examined in terms of internal energy security and external energy security, similarities are observed with the national security structure. It seems that the same structural relationship exists when the purposes of energy security and national security policies are considered. While the dimensions of political, military, economic, social and environmental security of the state in traditional national security readings appear as a subcategory of national security, the importance of energy security in new national security approaches is emphasized at the same time.
As mentioned above, there is a structural link between energy security and national security. Energy security is vital to the provision of other dimensions of national security. In other words, the presence or absence of energy resources in taking political decisions related to military, economic and even environmental security can be a decisive factor in determining the direction of external and internal political vectors.
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- Dubrovin, E., Dubrovin, İ., Energeticheskaya Bezopasnost Kak Vazhnaya Sostavlyayushaya Nacionalnoy Bezopasnosti, Energetika i Promyshlennost Rossii, 2011, 18