Evaluating the nature of terrorist attacks on the energy infrastructure: the periodical study for 1970-2011

Abstract

Starting from the 1970s, the increasing rates of terrorist attacks to energy infrastructure has emerged as one of the major causes of energy disruption, which has consequences for all countries in the entire energy supply chain, in other words, overall energy security. The aim of this study is to examine the nature of terrorist attacks on the energy infrastructure, for the period between 1970 and 2011. Compared to previous studies focused on this area, this study considers a wider range of events, including minor scale ones. The data was retrieved from the target type of 'utilities' from global terrorism database (GTD) for the period between 1970 and 2011. Findings suggest that most of these attacks were carried out by left-wing terrorist organisations in volatile countries mainly in South America and Central America and Caribbean during the 1970s and 1980s, regardless of the role of these countries in the global energy security. [Received: March 19, 2014; Accepted: March 18, 2014]