definition of energy security is provided by the Inter-
national Energy Agency (IEA) as: “the uninterrupted
physical availability at a price which is affordable,
while respecting environment concerns” (IEA 2011).
On its webpage entitled “Energy Security,” the DOE
Energy Information Administration (EIA) simply lists
the main headings of Oil, Natural Gas, and Electric-
ity, with subordinate headings like: Disruptions and
Vulnerabilities; Shipping, Chokepoints, and Spills; In-
frastructure and Nuclear Energy (EIA 2011c). A more
comprehensive definition is proposed in a United Na-
tions (UN) Department of Economic and Social Affairs
(DESA) publication as:
A nation-state is energy secure to the degree that fuel
and energy services are available to ensure: a) survival
of the nation, b) protection of national welfare, and
c) minimization of risks associated with supply and
use of fuel and energy services. The five dimensions
of energy security include energy supply, economic,
technological, environmental, social and cultural, and
military/security dimensions (UN DESA 2006, 151).Nations often weight heavily their other national
interests with energy security considerations in mind
and employ the elements of their national power com-
mensurately. Former Marine Corps Commandant and
U.S. National Security Advisor, retired General James
Jones explains:
Our entire economy depends on the expectation that
energy will be plentiful, available, and affordable.
Nations like Venezuela and Iran can use oil and gas
as political and economic weapons by manipulating
the marketplace. Half of our trade deficit goes toward
buying oil from abroad, and some of that money ends
up in the hands of terrorists (AEI 2010).