Energy Security Under the Context of Critical Security Studies. The Importance of the Barents Region to the European Union

Abstract

The aim of this PhD thesis is to examine, with specific reference to the Barents Sea Region, how critical security studies can facilitate analysis of the emerging relationships between the EU, Russia and Norway in the Arctic. Specifically, in what ways can critical security studies be applied to the energy security of the EU in relation to Norway and Russia? To what extent do the energy reserves of the Barents Region create inter-relations between Norway, Russia and the EU? And in what ways can contemporary critical security studies be used to support the development of international policies that can support sustainable development in the Barents Region? The thesis is composed of ten chapters, each of them dealing with different aspects of human geography. Chapter One is introductory and defines the context of the research. Chapters Two, Three and Four form the extensive literature review, while Chapter Five outlines the contemporary history of the Barents Region. Methodological approaches and the justification for their selection are presented in Chapter Six. Chapters Seven, Eight and Nine are the results chapters, dealing with critical security studies, the role of the Barents Region in energy security issues of the EU, and environmental and societal security in the Barents Region, respectively. Conclusions are drawn in Chapter Ten, where I return to each of the research questions and discuss the contribution of the thesis to our empirical knowledge, policy and practice

Date of Award	2020
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Aberystwyth University
Supervisor	Mark Whitehead (Supervisor) & Gareth Hoskins (Supervisor)