Book Review: Economics and Politics of Energy in the Middle East and Eastern Europe edited by Natalya Ketenci and Ayşe Sevencen Economics and Politics of Energy in the Middle East and Eastern Europe, edited by KetenciNatalyaSevencenAyşe (Lexington Books, 2021). 148 pages, ISBN 978-1-7936-4447-3, hardback, ISBN 978-1-7936-4448-0, electronic.
Year: 2025
Type: book-review
Abstract: This book focuses on T€ urkiye's 1 political, geographical, and economic position at the strategic oriental-occidental energy crossroads between Eastern Europe (former Soviet Bloc countries including Russia and the Ukraine) and the Middle East.The authors are well positioned for this interesting investigation as all are affiliated with Turkish Universities and have expertise in social sciences including economics, industrial organization, public and business administration, political science, and international relations.Information in the more general chapters (one, three, seven, ten) and more general discussion within other chapters on reasons for renewables, renewable sources, possible renewable policies, and global energy trends will likely be familiar to many Energy Juornal (EJ) readers.What I appreciate most about this short, easily read volume is the detailed discussion of new natural gas discoveries in the Eastern Mediterranean and the economic and political discord over their development in chapters two, four, and five, which I have not encountered elsewhere.Arguably, the book's focus on T€ urkiye's political history and important position as a geographic crossroad is more relevant now than at its initial publication.The destruction of Nord Stream I and Ukraine's halting of Russian gas to Europe has closed off important access points for Russian gas, favoring gas flows transiting T€ urkiye's Southern Gas Corridor.Focusing on T€ urkiye's political relations with its Levantine neighbors and Continental Europe, the book sheds light on salient issues and political tensions, which are likely to come to a head as Europe looks increasingly southerly to meet its energy security needs.I also appreciated the detailed discussion of Turkish energy and environmental policy included in chapters six and eight along with the discussion of the entrepreneurial opportunities and progress encouraged by Turkish privatization and deregulation of the electricity sector along with government support of renewable energy and energy efficiency in chapter nine.I will continue with a bit more detail on the books content by chapter.Chapter one by Alper Altinanahtar provides a short overview of energy sources, supply, usage, and contributions to CO 2 emissions in Eastern Europe and the Middle East already familiar to the majority of EJ readers.In chapter two, Natalya Ketenci outlines the oil and gas activities and discoveries in the Levant Basin.Readers of The Energy Journal unfamiliar with the basin will find the geologic, political, and historical information presented in this chapter interesting.The Levant Basin covers 83,000 km 2 in the Eastern Mediterranean.Most of the Basin is offshore in the economic zones of Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, and Cyprus.Oil production in small amounts began in the basin as early as 1909.But the region did not become a hotspot for offshore international exploration until the discovery of the Tamar natural gas field in Israeli waters in 2008.The discovery of the 318 billion cubic meter (bcm) gas field spurred further 1 Although the book was published prior to the English name change from Turkey to the preferred Turkish spelling of T€ urkiye in December, 2021 (Al Jazeera 2022), I will use the current preferred spelling throughout this review.
Source: The Energy Journal
Author: Carol A. Dahl
Language: English
Subfield: General Energy
Field: Energy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W4408778297