The Energy Statecraft of Brazil: Promoting Biofuels to African Countries: Table 1.

Abstract

This article evaluates the use of energy resources as instruments of foreign policy, herein termed “energy statecraft.” While most attention has been given to traditional energy resources such as oil and natural gas, few studies concern themselves exclusively with energy statecraft using renewable energy. The Brazilian case is unique because it is the only country to pursue energy statecraft with biofuels, and it does so through soft power, by encouraging mostly African countries to emulate its experience with biofuels. To inform this analysis, this study draws on the “conditionalist” approach in the economic statecraft literature to create a theoretical framework. While this approach establishes the conditions under which economic instruments of foreign policy are likely to be effective, this article applies these conditions to energy resources as foreign policy instruments, focusing on biofuels. However, the efficacy of energy statecraft cannot be fully understood without considering both the international context in which it takes place and the domestic context of target states. This article concludes that a theory of energy statecraft must consider three main factors: the conditions in the sender state, the domestic contexts of target states, and the international energy context.