Many authors and politicians describe European energy relations in terms that relate to concepts of classical security and carry a strong cold war connotation. While some call for an “energy NATO”, others refer to the new “Ostpolitik” to justify their cooperative strategy. They claim that strong contacts on several levels stabilise international energy relations. In my paper, I will assess this claim. To do so, I will in the first part advance the concept of economic de´tente and apply it to the energy sector. To this end, I will integrate elements of complex interdependence and cooperation theory with network analytical approaches and general energy security concepts. This part also considers the effects of actor networks on the development of trust and the general discourse on energy security. I will then formulate hypothesis for the empirical analysis in the second part. In the second part, I will test the concept at the example of German-Russian energy relations. These relations are characterized by a cohesive web of transnational relations so that they serve as critical case for economic de´tente. Using methods of network analysis, I will describe the interorganizational networks in both states and their development between 2000 and 2007. I will analyse, if and how these networks stabilized energy relations and what effects this had on other means to ensure energy security. In the same paragraph, I will describe main elements of the legitimization discourse of central actors and their interactions with network structures. Part of my conclusion is that actor networks increase trust and facilitate cooperation, but also may redistribute material and communication resources in favour of actors in advantageous social positions. Hence effects of economic de´tente including those on energy security discourses need to be critical evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
