Center for European Studies

What if, instead of posturing in Cold War terms about eliminating their “energy dependence” on Russia, European governments could make interest- and facts-based decisions on key economic issues after transparent public debate? This talk tells the tangled tale of how Bulgaria, Russia, and the U.S., played each other over a series of unfulfilled energy deals to the detriment of all, and without increasing Bulgaria’s or Europe’s energy capacity, decreasing costs to consumers, or generating meaningful revenue for either states or private companies. The deals, however, revealed the extent to which non-fact-based decision making can harm key national interests, deteriorate the rule of law, contribute to a crisis of public trust, and threaten international security.

Speaker Bio: Robin S Brooks, Ph.D., researched this paper while she was the Davis Fellow at the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) in 2015-16. A Foreign Service Officer since 2004, she has served in Moscow, Sofia, Ankara, at the U.S. mission to the OSCE, and in several positions in Washington, DC. In addition to SIPA, Dr. Brooks has also taught Political Science and International Relations at New Bulgarian University, Sofia University, and the University of California, Berkeley. (This presentation does not reflect the views of those institutions or of the U.S. government.)