Populism, Energy Transition, and International Politics

Abstract

In recent years, populist political forces both in power and in opposition, have engaged with energy politics in various ways. This chapter discusses how populists influence the international politics of energy. The departure point is a reflection on the specific relationship between populist ideology and international energy politics, and especially the ways in which the key dichotomies of populism play out in this political domain. The chapter first defines populism and its core features, then present energy politics as an unusual and unique area of public policy, highlighting both its domestic and international dimension. It further emphasises the problem of energy transitions as examples of rapid social change, and their role as a fuel for populist contestation, before moving to the two illustrative case studies of the USA under Donald Trump, and of Poland under the Law and Justice party government.

Populism, Energy Transition, and International Politics