Wilson Center Experts
Alexandros Petersen
Advisor: European Energy Security Initiative; Former Public Policy Scholar
European Studies
Expertise:
Energy
; Energy Security
; Europe
; Southeast Europe
; Turkey
; Russia and Eurasia
; Caucasus
; Central Asia
Dr. Alexandros Petersen serves as Advisor to the European Energy Security Initiative (EESI) at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. A scholar of energy geopolitics, he has a decade's experience conducting research across Europe and Eurasia. Dr. Petersen is the author of The World Island: Eurasian Geopolitics and the Fate of the West and co-runs chinaincentralasia.com. He has been a Senior Fellow for Eurasia and Fellow for Transatlantic Energy Security at the Atlantic Council, a Visiting Fellow with the Russia and Eurasia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and has provided research for the National Petroleum Council’s Geopolitics and Policy Task Group.
Dr. Petersen regularly provides analysis to publications such as the Economist, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, National Interest and the Atlantic. He has appeared on the BBC, Sky News, CTV and NPR and has taught classes on energy geopolitics at the U.S. Foreign Service Institute, the U.S. National War College and the American University of Central Asia, amongst many others. He received a B.A. in War Studies with First Class Honors from King’s College London and an M.Sc. and Ph.D. in International Relations from the London School of Economics.
Major Publications
The World Island: Eurasian Geopolitics and the Fate of the West.
Previous Terms at the Wilson Center:
September 1, 2008 - November 1, 2008
Project Title: "The Expansion of the Energy Community in Southeast Europe as a Mechanism for Western Integration"
Public Policy Scholar, June-July 2012
Project Title: "Regions in Between: Enery, Trsanport and Integration in Eurasia"
Related Content for this Expert
Russia's Energy Bully Takes a Fall
May 07, 2013"After years as Eurasia's energy bully, Russia's state-controlled natural gas monopoly, Gazprom, is getting a taste of its own medicine," stated Alexandros Petersen in a recent article published by Foreign Policy earlier this week. more
Beyond Nabucco: An Update on the Southern Gas Corridor and European Energy Security
April 30, 2013 // 10:00am — 12:00pm
The race to build the Southern Energy Corridor to bring Caspian natural gas to Europe is in its final stages. The Shah Deniz consortium in Azerbaijan is set to once and for all decide the long-pending "Nabucco question". How will this improve European energy security? Experts from Baku's Center for Strategic Studies and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan gather to discuss this, as well as other pertinent questions at a roundtable discussion co-hosted by the Global Europe Program and the Kennan Institute. more
European Energy Security is Not Up to Europe
Mar 20, 2013In an article discussing ways to avoid Europe's energy dependency on Russia, Alexandros Petersen, advisor to the European Energy Security Initiative, argues that EU countries should "...bring non-Russian gas to European markets along a route that does not traverse territory over which Russia has influence." more
A New Energy Partner for Europe
Jan 31, 2013"Sometimes European energy security is best left to those outside of the EU who not only have the gas to provide diversification, but the money and political will to make it happen," wrote Alexandros Petersen in a recent article published in the National Interest. more
Russia, China and the geopolitics of energy in Central Asia
Nov 18, 2011Alexandros Petersen, Advisor to the European Energy Security Initiative (EESI) at the Wilson Center, publishes a joint report on the geopolitics of energy in Central Asia along with the Deputy Director of the Centre for European Reform Katinka Barysch. more
European Energy Policy/ies in Transition - Internal and External Dimensions
June 15, 2011 // 1:00pm — 2:30pm
The tension between unity and diversity is the leitmotif of European politics, and energy policies are no exception. Given the diversity of the continent’s geography and history, it is natural that some nations and regions may support one policy over another, and that a unified policy is difficult to achieve. Marcel Vietor attributed this not only to the attitudes and values that vary from country to country, but also to the fact that different countries have different energy resources and requirements. more
Forging Central Europe's Energy Independence
May 23, 2011 // 2:00pm — 3:00pm
Anita Orban, Ambassador-at-Large for Energy Security, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hungary more
The World Island: Eurasian Geopolitics and the Fate of the West
March 22, 2011 // 11:00am — 12:00pm
Both a historical analysis and a call to arms, this is the comprehensive policy guide to understanding and engaging the geopolitics of Eurasia. more
Biofuels: Food, Fuel, and the Future?
July 23, 2010 // 9:00am — 12:30pm
Experts conduct a comprehensive assessment of biofuels, and emphasize the need to understand them within a global framework. more
Europe's Energy Security in the Balance: What Future for the Southern Energy Corridor?
March 30, 2011 // 1:30pm — 3:00pm
Andrea Lockwood, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Eurasia, Africa and the Middle East, U.S. Department of Energy; Adnan Vatensever, Senior Associate, Energy and Climate Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; and Peter Doran, Senior Policy Analyst, Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA). Moderator: Alexandros Petersen, Adviser, European Energy Security Initiative, Woodrow Wilson Center more
Pages
Russia's Energy Bully Takes a Fall
May 07, 2013"After years as Eurasia's energy bully, Russia's state-controlled natural gas monopoly, Gazprom, is getting a taste of its own medicine," stated Alexandros Petersen in a recent article published by Foreign Policy earlier this week.
European Energy Security is Not Up to Europe
Mar 20, 2013In an article discussing ways to avoid Europe's energy dependency on Russia, Alexandros Petersen, advisor to the European Energy Security Initiative, argues that EU countries should "...bring non-Russian gas to European markets along a route that does not traverse territory over which Russia has influence."
A New Energy Partner for Europe
Jan 31, 2013"Sometimes European energy security is best left to those outside of the EU who not only have the gas to provide diversification, but the money and political will to make it happen," wrote Alexandros Petersen in a recent article published in the National Interest.
Russia, China and the geopolitics of energy in Central Asia
Nov 18, 2011Alexandros Petersen, Advisor to the European Energy Security Initiative (EESI) at the Wilson Center, publishes a joint report on the geopolitics of energy in Central Asia along with the Deputy Director of the Centre for European Reform Katinka Barysch.
Beyond Nabucco: An Update on the Southern Gas Corridor and European Energy Security
April 30, 2013 // 10:00am — 12:00pm
The race to build the Southern Energy Corridor to bring Caspian natural gas to Europe is in its final stages. The Shah Deniz consortium in Azerbaijan is set to once and for all decide the long-pending "Nabucco question". How will this improve European energy security? Experts from Baku's Center for Strategic Studies and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan gather to discuss this, as well as other pertinent questions at a roundtable discussion co-hosted by the Global Europe Program and the Kennan Institute.
European Energy Policy/ies in Transition - Internal and External Dimensions
June 15, 2011 // 1:00pm — 2:30pm
The tension between unity and diversity is the leitmotif of European politics, and energy policies are no exception. Given the diversity of the continent’s geography and history, it is natural that some nations and regions may support one policy over another, and that a unified policy is difficult to achieve. Marcel Vietor attributed this not only to the attitudes and values that vary from country to country, but also to the fact that different countries have different energy resources and requirements.
Forging Central Europe's Energy Independence
May 23, 2011 // 2:00pm — 3:00pm
Anita Orban, Ambassador-at-Large for Energy Security, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hungary
The Future of U.S.-EU Energy Cooperation
February 09, 2011 // 12:00pm — 2:00pm
Chief of staff at the Office of the Special Envoy for Eurasian Energy at the U.S. Department of State, Vincent J. O'brien, stated that "stakes for an energy secure future have never been higher than they are today." Cooperation is needed on securing new resources of natural gas, diversifying energy sources and creating a more integrated European energy market. Given that the U.S.–EU trade relationship is the largest in the world and that the economies are increasingly becoming interdependent, Europe's energy security is naturally in the best interest of the U.S. While the dynamics behind Europe's energy concerns are complex, pipeline politics seem to dominate discussions.
Biofuels: Food, Fuel, and the Future?
July 23, 2010 // 9:00am — 12:30pm
Experts conduct a comprehensive assessment of biofuels, and emphasize the need to understand them within a global framework.
Europe's Energy Security in the Balance: What Future for the Southern Energy Corridor?
March 30, 2011 // 1:30pm — 3:00pm
Andrea Lockwood, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Eurasia, Africa and the Middle East, U.S. Department of Energy; Adnan Vatensever, Senior Associate, Energy and Climate Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; and Peter Doran, Senior Policy Analyst, Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA). Moderator: Alexandros Petersen, Adviser, European Energy Security Initiative, Woodrow Wilson Center
The World Island: Eurasian Geopolitics and the Fate of the West
March 22, 2011 // 11:00am — 12:00pm
Both a historical analysis and a call to arms, this is the comprehensive policy guide to understanding and engaging the geopolitics of Eurasia.