Energy Geopolitics in Russian Foreign Policy: Strategy, Security, and Global Influence Course

Undergraduate Course (Bachelor’s Level)

This course introduces undergraduate students to the strategic role of energy in Russia’s foreign policy. It explores how oil, gas, and pipelines shape Russia’s international behaviour, regional influence, and global partnerships. Students will examine key concepts and case studies to understand how Russia leverages energy resources as a tool of statecraft.

Learning Outcomes

  • Understand the link between natural resources and Russian foreign policy.
  • Identify key institutions, actors, and mechanisms in Russia’s energy strategy.
  • Analyse the geopolitical role of energy in Russia’s regional and global relations.
  • Evaluate case studies of Russia’s energy diplomacy and conflict.

Assessment

Class Participation (25%), Case Study Report (25%), Final Essay (50%)

Structure

  1. Introduction to Energy Geopolitics: Concepts and Russian Context
  2. The Rise of Russia as an Energy Superpower
  3. Gazprom and State-Controlled Energy Institutions
  4. Pipelines as Power: Europe and Dependency Politics
  5. Russia’s Energy Relations with Central Asia and the Caucasus
  6. Nord Stream, TurkStream, and Transit Politics
  7. Energy and Conflict: Ukraine, Georgia, and the Post-Soviet Space
  8. Energy Diplomacy in the Middle East and Asia
  9. Nuclear Energy and Rosatom in Russian Foreign Policy
  10. Sanctions, Market Volatility, and Strategic Adaptation
  11. Simulation – Designing an Energy Strategy for the Russian MFA

Graduate Course (Master’s Level)

This graduate-level course explores how Russia strategically wields energy as a foreign policy instrument. It critically examines how hydrocarbons, infrastructure, and global energy transitions interact with Moscow’s pursuit of influence and status. The course draws on strategic theory, policy analysis, and empirical case studies across Europe, Eurasia, and the Global South.

Learning Outcomes

  • Analyse how Russia uses energy to pursue strategic objectives.
  • Evaluate institutional and geopolitical frameworks guiding Russia’s energy policy.
  • Critique regional and global case studies of energy leverage and contestation.
  • Assess long-term implications of energy sanctions, green transitions, and great power competition.

Assessment

Class Participation (25%), Case Study Report (25%), Final Essay (50%)

Structure

  1. Strategic Theory and Energy Statecraft in Russian Foreign Policy
  2. Oil, Gas, and the Political Economy of Russian Power
  3. Infrastructure as Geopolitical Architecture: Pipelines, Ports, and Transit
  4. Energy and the EU: Strategic Dependence and Decoupling
  5. Energy Security in the Post-Soviet Space: Coercion and Cooperation
  6. Russia–China Energy Relations and the Shift to Asia
  7. Rosatom, Nuclear Diplomacy, and Strategic Exports
  8. Hydrocarbons in the Middle East: Partnership or Powerplay?
  9. Sanctions, Technology Denial, and Strategic Resilience
  10. Energy, Climate, and Russia’s Role in the Global Transition
  11. Simulation – Strategic Brief to the Security Council on Russian Energy Diplomacy
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