ABSTRACT
This chapter undertakes a literature review of international relations theories to identify a suitable conceptual framework to appraise regional energy cooperation in South Asia. It highlights key characteristics of several international relations theories, including realism, liberalism and constructivism. It argues that constructivism provides the most appropriate theoretical lens with which the various social, economic, historical and political challenges to energy cooperation can be appraised. The chapter then identifies several other theories that can be used to undertake case studies on energy projects in South Asia. It demonstrates the theoretical and empirical dividends that can be gained from using theories on stakeholder analysis and energy diplomacy to evaluate transnational pipelines in South Asia. It also demonstrates that theories on environmental peacebuilding and cooperative security are particularly suitable for analysing regional hydroelectric projects in South Asia.
