Leiden University Student Repository

Plöger, Tobias Maria (2017)

Constructing Interdependence in Times of Crisis - The EU's Discourse on EU-Russian Energy Relations Before and After the Ukraine Crisis 2014

Master thesis | International Relations (MA)

This thesis compares the EU’s discourse on its energy relations with Russia prior to the Ukraine crisis and after it. The discourse analysis is embedded in a Constructivist framework and focuses on the question whether continuities and discontinuities in the discourse indicate a successful or deficient construction of EU-Russian energy relations by the EU. This analysis shows that even though there are discontinuities between the two periods, these do not indicate a major failure in developing a suitable energy strategy. This evaluation is based on the result that the discontinuities found only represent shifts in the emphases on different elements of the discourse. The early discourse therefore already included most of the strategic elements that became necessary to deal properly with Russia and to ensure the EU’s energy security once the Crisis broke out.

EU

Russia

Energy

Energy-Relations

Discourse

Ukraine

Crisis

Interdependence

2014

Author

Plöger, Tobias Maria

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Specialisation

International Studies

Supervisors

David, Maxine

ECTS Credits

15

Language

en