Abstract:

This paper analyzes Turkey-Russia energy relations from the perspective of economic interdependence. The main point of departure of the article is that in order to account for political cooperation under conditions of asymmetric interdependence the following two issues need to be addressed first: 1) Do actors, particularly the more dependent player, perceive dependence on others as a security threat? 2) Which strategies do interdependent actors follow to minimize the risks associated with asymmetric interdependence?  This paper focuses on the concepts of securitization and compartmentalization to shed light onto these two questions. The case of Turkey-Russia relations suggests that when compartmentalization works effectively, and energy dependence is desecuritized, bilateral political cooperation is possible. When diverging geopolitical interests undermine compartmentalization and securitize dependence, hierarchies stemming from asymmetric interdependence are crystallized.

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