Energy Politics

It is not uncommon to hear states and their leaders criticized for "mixing oil and politics." The U.S.—led Iraq War was criticized as a "war for oil." When energy exporters overtly use energy as a tool to promote their foreign policy goals, Europe and the United States regularly decry the use of energy as a "weapon" rather than accept it as a standard and legitimate tool of diplomacy.

In Energy Politics, Brenda Shaffer argues that energy and politics are intrinsically linked. Modern life—fro...