Energy security and nuclear energy proliferation in oil-poor countries in the Middle East and North Africa

Nathrath, J, 2024. Energy security and nuclear energy proliferation in oil-poor countries in the Middle East and North Africa. PhD, Nottingham Trent University.

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Abstract

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is a diverse geographic space that is endowed with significant fossil fuel resources. However, the distribution of hydrocarbons is uneven, and a considerable part of the MENA lacks significant oil and natural gas deposits. These countries are disadvantaged vis-a-vis their energy-rich, regional neighbours and experience energy security risks that arise from the lack of fossil fuels. Some of these energy importers pursue nuclear energy development to mitigate their scarcity-borne energy insecurities. This study is interested in the association between resource scarcity, energy security and nuclear energy and studies specifically how energy security thinking is linked with the pursued of nuclear energy development in three oil-poor countries in the MENA. Precisely, this study analyses elite perceptions and utilises framing and securitisation analysis to ascertain the official and news media discourses on energy security and nuclear energy proliferation in Egypt, Jordan, and Türkiye. The analytical focus rests on the identification of perceptive congruence or divergence between official and news media discourses and across case study countries. One underlying assumption of this study is that perceptions that are shared by the elites and the news media coalesce to form a unified, national position. This study demonstrates how elite and news media discourses align in their understanding of energy security as primarily a function of security of supply and in their perception that nuclear energy development is primarily motivated by energy security concerns. Furthermore, this study also shows how a lack of oil resources has affected the case study countries’ energy security thinking and underlies their drive for nuclear energy development. The acquired, empirical data is used further to study noteworthy trends in the data, including Jordan’s energy independence-based energy security conceptualisation, the pro-nuclear orientation of the sampled news media discourses, or the need for co-operation in emergent nuclear energy programmes.

Item Type:	Thesis
Creators:	Nathrath, J.
Contributors:	Name Role NTU ID ORCID El-Anis, I. Thesis supervisor HUM3ELANII https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6918-4544 Gorry, J. Thesis supervisor PAS3GORRYJ https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8258-1862
Date:	July 2024
Rights:	The copyright in this work is held by the author. You may copy up to 5% of this work for private study, or personal, non-commercial research. Any re-use of the information contained within this document should be fully referenced, quoting the author, title, university, degree level and pagination. Queries or requests for any other use, or if a more substantial copy is required, should be directed to the author.
Divisions:	Schools > School of Social Sciences
Record created by:	Laura Ward
Date Added:	07 Nov 2024 09:30
Last Modified:	25 Nov 2024 11:05
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/52521

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