The failure of energy diplomacy in South Asia

This chapter undertakes an overview of the root causes of the failed MBI pipeline in South Asia. First, the chapter drafts a conceptual framework based on energy diplomacy. It then contends that the crux of the failure of the MBI was Bangladesh’s relations with India regarding borders. The chapter argues that the type of energy diplomacy being practised by India, Bangladesh and Myanmar in relation to the MBI was limited to realist interpretations of securing resources, and inadequate in resolving endemic challenge to holistic, sustainable energy cooperation. The chapter suggests that a broader interpretation of energy diplomacy, wherein transnational projects are perceived as ‘infrastructures of cooperation’ and not solely conduits of gas or oil, may enhance the success of South Asia’s pipelines.