A step closer towards peace through regulation of economic and political aspects of the energy sector

Abstract

Despite the popular opinion that denies the possibility for World Peace, the research conducted for the dissertation aims to show that the economics and strategic policies of the energy sector have the potential to impact the number of conflicts around the world. This is possible by the increased levels of democracy resulted from energy projects whose main goal is to include the maximum number of stakeholders. The impact of green energy on democracy is explored, showing how democracy levels are ameliorated or diminished when introducing new technologies to certain countries. This is explored on local and global scales, exploring the interests of developed countries, along with the countries of the global south. A case study is taken to explore the impact of the “Light Up a Village” project on the economy and society. The dissertation goes on to take Lebanon as a case study to show to what extent investments in sustainable energy projects affect social bonds and insecurities. The results incorporate the social aspect of this installation by exploring statistics of the perspectives of locals, along with indices such as the Global Peace Index (GPI), Democracy Index, Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) and others. The purpose of these studies is to show how inclusive energy projects increase democracy in a certain country. After going through several analyses that aim to bridge the gaps in the democratic peace theory, the dissertation is concluded by amalgamating the pragmatic techniques introduced and suggesting further research domains to elevate the role of energy in peace building.