How to Understand 'Petro-Aggression' in the Era of Decarbonisation Professor Alexander Etkind

We recently had the pleasure of hearing from esteemed historian and cultural researcher Professor Alexander Etkind, who presented his new book Russia Against Modernity at an open event hosted by the King's Russia Institute.

Professor Etkind offered a fascinating insight into the growing scholarship on petro-aggression, a phenomenon which he argues has (partly) given rise to Russia's war in Ukraine. For those who have not heard of petro-aggression, the concept refers to how oil creates incentives for both increased and decreased (depending on circumstances) petrostate aggression in international relations. 

According to Etkind, the climate crisis and the concomitant global shift towards decarbonisation puts petrostates in crisis – with the world's wealthiest nations set to become some of the poorest. The existential threat posed by decarbonisation securitises the climate crisis and exacerbates petrostates' pre-existing incentives for aggressive behaviour as they look to frustrate the global transition from fossil fuels. Etkind argues that this has and will manifest in petrostates engaging in misinformation campaigns, sabotage, and all-out war to protect their interests. 

Thus, without excluding other motivations, Etkind points to petro-aggression (exacerbated by the securitised climate crisis) as a significant driving force behind Russian aggression towards Ukraine, culminating in the 2022 full-scale invasion, positing it as a "preventative war against decarbonisation".  

Russia Against Modernity develops this interesting thesis, explaining Russia's behaviour by drawing on paleomodern and gaiamodern theories to offer an original analysis of contemporary Russian foreign policy.

We would like to thank Professor Etkind for taking the time to present his ideas, and we hope to hear from him again soon!