ABSTRACT
The energy sector plays a special role in Russia. Energy resources secure relative stability on the domestic front by providing legitimacy to a semi-democratic, or semi-authoritarian, regime that can buy the support of the public by using oil and gas windfalls to finance many social and rearmament programmes in Russia. The same energy resources also provide international political clout, making Russia an important player in the global energy game, where the country can use its energy resources to promote its strategic interests. Those are at least two widely held claims about Russia and the role of energy resources in its domestic and foreign policy. This book has sought to offer a deeper understanding of how the recent economic crisis and new global developments have forced the Russian political elite to revise some of their ideas on the importance and usefulness of Russian energy resources as a tool for realizing the country's long-term strategy. The authors of the chapters have presented a range of perspectives on the Russian energy sector, to enable a more nuanced picture of the challenges faced by the Kremlin's energy policymakers in the post-crisis period.
