EXAMINING TOTAL ENERGY CORPORATION’S CONDUCT IN YEMEN: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF POLITICAL CORRUPTION AND SHIFTING DYNAMICS 2005-2023

This study analyzes Total Energy's conduct in Yemen from 2005 to 2023 using an offensive realist framework. During Saleh's corrupt regime (2005-2011), Total exploited Yemen's vulnerabilities, securing an imbalanced gas agreement for short-term gains. Post-Saleh (2012-present), Yemeni governments struggled to hold Total accountable, hindered by governance challenges. Total's control over Yemen's oil and gas sector, constituting 80% of GDP, highlights the dominance of non-state entities. The total has benefited from the weak governance that prevented legal action for law violations that have been done by the corporation including violating the Yemeni laws regarding the unfair agreement, causing environmental damage, and turning the oil facility into a detention center during the Yemen war. Offensive realism explains Total's actions, prioritizing strategic interests over legal constraints in an anarchic world system that enables it to do so through being authorized by major powers. The study also explores how Total, a non-state actor, surpasses the power of a state like Yemen, providing valuable theoretical insights.