Energy Security In Jordan’s Foreign Policy, 2003 - 2014
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Date
2016-09
Authors
Mustafa Ayasreh, Emad Abdallah
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Abstract
Jordan imports more than ninety-seven percent of its energy needs within a context of economic, political, and social difficulties, especially after the influx of refugees from neighboring countries and the interruption of natural gas supply from Egypt due to the instability in the Middle East. Therefore, the political approach to achieve energy security over the period 2003 to 2014 is explored in this thesis. The primary objectives of the study are to identify the strength of the relation between Jordan’s foreign policy and energy security, to clarify the effect of dependence on foreign energy sources and the influence of energy suppliers on Jordan’s foreign policy, and to identify the role of foreign policy in addressing the energy security issues. The Neoliberal Institutionalism analogue of interdependence and cooperation offer a theoretical perspective on how to understand the problem. A qualitative study design was adopted, and the empirical basis of the study consisted of eleven semi-structured interviews with the elite, and two focus group discussions with participants in different academic, political, and social backgrounds, all supported by official data from the government. The data were analyzed by qualitative software program NVivo 10. The results suggest that energy security is considered one of the main objectives of Jordan’s foreign policy, and became even a higher priority mission for policymakers after 2006. The results also reveal that Jordan has fixed principles that guide its foreign policy. Under these principles, Jordan has pursued its energy needs, utilizing the mutual interests with energy suppliers to minimize their interference in its foreign policy. Finally, the findings point toward possible policies
to address energy security issues. The theoretical and policy implications are offered, and future research directions are proposed.
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Keywords
The strength of the relation between Jordan’s foreign policy , and energy security,