Introduction

Cambridge University Press eBooks, pp. 1–26

Abstract

Chapter 1 introduces the “puzzle” of the variability of Eurasia’s gas interdependence over both time and space. It outlines how political dynamics of natural gas pipelines therefore differ from oil pipelines, in part because the market for natural gas is much more regional and segmented than the integrated global market for oil. It summarizes the historical development of the Soviet-Eurasian gas trade and delineates variations in natural gas interdependence between various European and Eurasian nations in order to lay out the main argument grounded in constructivism — that the uneven character of Eurasian (natural gas) interdependencies is motivated and shaped by shifts in dominant narratives over time and across nations. This book also elaborates the conditions under which large shifts occur in the way firms define their commercial interests. It considers how international economic opportunities moderate domestic politics while adding personal leader incentives — in turn, based on individual personality traits and dispositions — while being attentive to the particular sociopolitical contexts in which shifts in natural gas interdependence take place.

Authors 1

1. Morena Skalamera corresponding Aachen

   Leiden University

   Affiliation as printed

   Leiden University