The foreign energy policy of a state is one of the key foci of its foreign policy engagement in the world. Any country's foreign policy, or those who decide on and carry out its policies, has a variety of instruments at its disposal to assert its interests. Energy resources are part of the capabilities, including instruments at the state's disposal to carry out its foreign policy objectives. The purpose of this thesis is to illustrate how energy resources are used as instruments in foreign policy. RAM is applied as a conceptual framework, using multiple case studies and comparative method as this model focuses attention on the state’s foreign policy goals. Furthermore, the aim is to prove that energy resources can be used as foreign policy instruments to achieve different strategic goals. Russia and Qatar are analyzed as the most suitable cases for answering the research question: what are states’ strategic goals in using energy resources as foreign policy instruments? The analysis establishes that for Russia, it is a creation of favorable external conditions for internal development and strengthening the position as one of the responsible, influential, and independent centers of the modern world. On the other side, Qatar's government has used energy capabilities to support domestic economic growth and an independent foreign policy.
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