Russian Energy Chains: The Remaking of Technopolitics from Siberia to Ukraine to the European Union (Woodrow Wilson Center Series)

Already before this book, ProfessorMargarita Balmaceda was well-known as the most nuanced expert on post-Soviet energy issues. This book further strengthens this reputation and adds European Union energy policies and politics to her portfolio. Her approach to the subject is unique: not only incorporates Dr Balmaceda's clear knowledge of the past but also it actualizes the energy issue in concise detail by following three concrete fossil fuel molecules --a natural gas, an oil, and a coal molecule from Siberia to Germany. The issues extremely complex issues in a way that is easily understood, while educating the reader on important technical issues. A technical terms appendix at the end of the book is enormously helpful in this task.As the owner of an investment firm with strong ties to Russia and other former Soviet states, I have found the book an invaluable help in my day to day operations. It's a must read for anyone working in the field of energy and trade not only in Eastern Europe but also in the European Union.

To read “Russian Energy Chains,” the latest book by Margarita Balmaceda, is quite a challenge – [in the good sense of the word.] It is like opening doors to a new world. As a life-long professor and humanist, I was appalled by my ingenuity on the topics discussed by the author. Above all, beyond being a spectacular researcher, the author is also like a psychologist, somehow jumping from what appears as “the true realities” of everyday living to their causes and effects – all linked logically. It lifts the spirit to dream of a perfect (fossil-fuel-free?) world, but let’s not forget that we must know about the one we actually live in first, marked by fossil fuel chains. Students will be strongly impressed by the author’s depth and precision, and will benefit greatly from the knowledge they will acquire through this book. A book to cherish.

Dr. Balmaceda's work is required reading for anyone who seeks to understand this moment in great power politics. I would go so far as to say it is not possible to understand Russian-EU-USA-China relations without reading this book, due to the centrality of energy.Balmaceda's intellectual approach to the economics and politics of energy carries very evocative questions even for theorists of international relations. This book is therefore a must read both for practitioners and theorists of international politics, political economy, as well as scholars in the fields of energy policy. Strongly recommended.