Questions of Energy Dependence: Belarusian and Lithuanian Case Studies

Search Date: November 1, 2009
Resource: EBSCO Host
Search Topics: Belarus, energy dependence,
Search Terms: Belarus dilemma
Number of Results: 5
Evaluation: I have always been pleased with the layout and ease of using EBSCO Host. One may wonder about the particular search terms that I used; however, I had previously discovered an article on the prevailing sentiment among Belarusians regarding the reconstruction of nuclear power plants in an effort to wean the country off of its steady and almost exclusive diet of Russian gas imports, and this was it. It provides an excellent, detailed snapshot of the justifiable concerns which the country’s citizens have vis-à-vis Lukashenka’s intentions to build a new nuclear facility in eastern Belarus based on either French or Russian designs. With evidence of Chernobyl’s ongoing impacts still abounding, this decision appears appalling to many, even amid the potential prospect of decreased dependence upon Russian energy imports.

Citation: Marples, David R. 2008. The Energy Dilemma of Belarus: The Nuclear Power Option. Eurasian Geography & Economics 49, no. 2 (03): 215-227.

Search Date: November 1, 2009
Resource: CSA Illumina
Search Topics: energy subsidies, post-Soviet geopolitics
Search Terms: Belarus energy subsidies
Number of Results: 2
Evaluation: After performing this particular search in the Library Catalog I realized that this source was a dissertation, so I subsequently referred to the ProQuest Disseration Abstracts available through the library’s Online Research Resources section and, although I located a very extensive abstract, I was unable to locate a full-text version of the dissertation.
The specific dissertation analyzes the different geopolitical trajectories upon which European members of the former Soviet Union embarked after the fall of communism and the associated ramifications vis-à-vis dependence on Russian energy. The author classifies these into groups such as “globalizers” and “hybrids,” examining how such trajectories decided upon nearly twenty years ago are still affecting their respective level of energy reliance upon Russia today.
The article presents a number of positives, including the scholarly “freshness” that can accompany dissertations, and an inherently comparative analysis of many countries' energy dilemmas, including Belarus and Lithuania. Perhaps the most major drawback is that it was written in 2001, which subsequently would omit a number of crucial developments that have shaped these relationships since. However, the dissertation looks to be a critical resource which I will likely use in my own comparative analysis(provided I locate the full text).

Citation: Linden, Corina Herron. Power and Uneven Globalization: Coalitions and Energy Trade Dependence in the Newly Independent States of Europe. Dissertation Abstracts International, A: The Humanities and Social Sciences, 61, no. 8, 3331-A, Feb 2001.

Search Date: November 1, 2009
Resource: Scopus
Search Topics: Lithuania, nuclear power, Ignalina nuclear plant
Search Terms: Ignalina, Ignalina closure
Number of Results: 212, 18
Evaluation: Scopus tends to return a higher proportion of scientifically-based resources than EBSCO, CSA Illumina, and some other databases which I have consulted. The high amount of retreived results listed above was saturated with articles on nuclear engineering, chemistry, and other topics largely tangential to my project at this point. However, by altering my search terms to include the term ‘closure,’ although the quantity nosedived, the relevance of the sources for my specific purposes was much, much higher. From renewable energy diversification to Lithuania’s environmental identity crisis resulting from EU energy policy, and from subsidy management to pollution analysis, I found much useful material. I cite but one of these resources below.
Speaking of citations, if the export feature in Scopus is not rectified, I will not be using this database much longer. It consistently malfunctions when attempting to export citations into programs such as Zotero, RefWorks, etc.

Citation: Vaha-Sipila, M. The European Union and the Identity Crisis in the Lithuanian Environmental Movement: The Ignalina Nuclear Plant. Politiikka 44,(03): 268-277.

I have also consulted resources such as europa.eu for fundamental information pertaining to the EU's historical and contemporary stances on nuclear energy, since changes that promote nuclear plant closure could conceivably cripple Lithuania's energy grid and, potentially, its economic performance. I also intend to make heavy use of available public opinion polls on these topics for both countries, including ones administered by the EU such as the Eurobarometer series.