Strategic consequences of the United States’ energy abundance. A case study of the U.S. – Poland Strategic Energy Partnership

The goal of the article is to answer the question of why the United States and Poland developed a strategic partnership in the gas sector in 2017–2020. This analysis is based on a systematic review of primary and secondary sources. The primary empirical materials consist of three groups: 1) documents published by the US administration and the Polish government; 2) speeches, official statements, and media interviews by politicians, officials, and business people from both countries; and 3) information published by companies engaged in gas relations between the United States and Poland. The secondary sources include statistical data and analyses from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the International Energy Agency (IEA), and the Statistical Review published by the Energy Institute. The article sets out four arguments: 1) The development of the strategic partnership between the two countries in the energy sector was made possible by the shale revolution in the United States. 2) The United States pursued strategic and economic goals in promoting LNG exports to Europe. 3) The United States and Poland accepted the view that the world was reverting to great power competition. 4) Both states rejected Russian energy dominance in Europe.