Governments around the world have begun reassessing their energy exposure in the wake of the Iran crisis, and many are feeling a growing pull toward energy autarky - the ability to meet their own energy needs entirely from domestic sources. The impulse is understandable, but it carries serious risks.

Jason Bordoff and Meghan L. O'Sullivan have warned in their Foreign Affairs analysis that the pursuit of self-sufficiency is fraught with danger, "Hvylya" reports. There is no cheap or easy path to energy autarky, and attempts to achieve it could backfire spectacularly.

The drive toward self-reliance has been building for years. Russia cut off most gas supplies to Europe after invading Ukraine. China restricted exports of rare-earth elements in 2025, sending shock waves through Western capitals. The United States blocked Cuba's and Venezuela's energy trades. Each episode has deepened governments' skepticism of globally traded energy supplies.

Yet the authors have argued that retreating behind national borders is an illusion. Domestic extraction and manufacturing are often more expensive than acquiring resources through trade. Policies that restrict exports or shield consumers from global prices may offer short-term relief but discourage investment, distort market signals, and ultimately reduce supply. Attempts to localize supply chains may create new bottlenecks if domestic capacity proves insufficient.

A better approach, they argue, lies in managing interdependence rather than eliminating it. Strategic reserves for oil, critical minerals, and key materials can help weather future disruptions. Broader sourcing - even at higher cost - enhances resilience. Infrastructure redundancy, such as Saudi Arabia's Red Sea pipeline that bypasses the Strait of Hormuz, has proven its value in the current crisis. The most durable form of energy security, the authors have noted, lies simply in using less energy per unit of economic output.

"Hvylya" previously reported on how Europe sits on untapped energy options it has politically foreclosed.