ABSTRACT
This chapter shifts the focus from negative to positive uses of energy in the foreign policy context. Energy transnationalism, the central concept here, refers to attempts by actors to mobilize energy for the purpose of strengthening international political stability, preventing wars and stimulating transnational cooperation. This idea, which builds on philosophical concepts originally developed in the decades around 1800, is omnipresent in today’s globalized world – and it challenges the popular idea that energy and geopolitics are primarily a harsh, war-like “battle” for global supremacy and control.
