A Nation Must Think Before it Acts
Gazprom and Russian Natural Gas Policy in the First Two Decades of the 21st Century
A nation must think before it acts.
Gazprom and Russian Natural Gas Policy in the First Two Decades of the 21st Century
Abstract
What role does natural gas play in Russian foreign policy and domestic politics? This article takes an in-depth look at the last two decades of Russian gas policy as a period of change and as a challenge to Gazprom’s Russian gas domination over its main market, Europe. Within this framework, the paper focuses on four main themes: 1) Gazprom’s position vis-à-vis its domestic competitors, including challenges to Gazprom export monopoly; 2) the changing nature of natural gas markets and its impact on the position of Russian gas in Europe; 3) policy challenges to Russian gas exports to Europe; and 4) Russian gas exports’ pivot to China.