Oil and intra-state conflict in Iraq and Syria: sub-state actors and challenges for Turkey’s energy security
Author(s)
Date
2017Source Title
Middle Eastern Studies
Print ISSN
0026-3206
Publisher
Routledge
Volume
53
Issue
3
Pages
406 - 419
Language
English
Type
ArticleItem Usage Stats
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Abstract
The continuing dependency on fossil fuels of the Middle East not only in Turkey's energy mix but also in world energy demand requires further analysis of oil and conflict in the region since the fall of Mosul in Iraq to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria in June 2014. This article addresses the relationship between oil and conflict. Then, it examines the case of Turkey's increasing energy relations with the Kurdistan Regional Government to elucidate the implications of inter-state and intra-state conflict on regional interdependence in the region. The argument asserts that risks of an abrupt regime change or revolutionary regime formation in the aftermath of civil war in Syria and ethnic or sectarian violence in Iraq, which are highly associated with intra-state conflicts, present challenges for Turkey's energy security and most importantly for human security in the region.
Keywords
Civil warConflict management
Energy use
Fossil fuel
Violence
Iraq
Syrian Arab Republic
Turkey