Energy, ecology and armed conflicts: The multiplicity of overlaps in the post-soviet space

This paper looks at the interaction of three vital aspects of energy security in the post-Soviet space—natural resources, armed conflicts and regional security mechanisms. The central argument is that armed conflict zones need not necessarily be seen through the framework of “resource curse”, “resource abundance” or “resource scarcity”. Rather there is a need to formulate an alternative environmental and ecological sustainable development perspective. The origins and causes of armed conflicts vary with roots in cultural, economic, ethnic, historical and/or political issues and have diverse impacts on environmental and energy security. Conflicts are associated with the twin strategies of what they “promote” and what they “prevent”. In armed conflict zones, the greatest problem is the presence of a “nation” but the absence of a “state” with international outreach, legitimacy and the authority to manage affairs. Such spaces become “zones of exception” that are not effectively regulated under the nation-state paradigm of the international system. This paper focuses on the Caucasus region.