Discussing Decolonisation and Green Colonialism with Hamza Hamouchene (TNI)

A guest lecture by Dr Hamza Hamouchene (TNI), as part of the ongoing Discussing Decolonisation event series at York St John University. The third event in the 2026/27 Discussing Decolonisation series will be a guest lecture by Dr Hamza Hamouchene (Transnational Institute) on 'green colonialism' and the ongoing struggle for liberation and justice in the Arab region. The event is free and open to anyone, as part of the ongoing Discussing Decolonisation series at York St John University. If you would like to receive updates about forthcoming events in the series, please sign up to our mailing list. If you have any questions about the event itself, please email series co-conveners Lucy Potter ([email protected]) and/or Laura Key ([email protected]). Dismantling energy colonialism: Towards a just transition in the Arab Region The Arab region is a focus of world politics, with an ongoing genocide in Palestine and an expanding regional imperialist-zionist war. Characterised by the brutal rule of authoritarian regimes and reactionary Gulf monarchies, and endowed with vast fossil-fuel reserves, the region lies at the heart of global fossil capitalism. It is also the site of potentially immense green energy resources, which makes it ripe for the green transition. However, the region is held back by the entrenchment of fossil capitalism, resource-grabbing and (neo)colonial agendas in the name of sustainability, as well as the intensification of militarism and perpetual imperialist wars. Mainstream coverage of the Arab region represents it as an Eldorado of renewable energy, not only capable of satisfying its own energy needs but also able to export huge surpluses to Europe and the Global North. This paper will challenge this deceptive narrative that obfuscates questions of ownership and sovereignty and that masks ongoing global relations of neo-colonial domination that facilitate the plunder of resources, the privatisation of commons and the dispossession of communities, consolidating thus undemocratic and exclusionary ways of governing the so-called energy transition.Several examples from the region show how energy (neo)colonialism is reproduced even in transitions to renewable energy in the form of green (neo)colonialism, green extractivism or green grabbing. From outright green colonialism in occupied Palestine to mega-solar projects in Morocco and wind farms in occupied Western Sahara and the Golan Heights, and from the push to privatise renewable energy for export in Tunisia and Jordan to the green hydrogen hype in North Africa, passing by the expansion of fossil fuel projects in the Gulf, Algeria and Egypt to help sever the EU’s reliance on Russian gas, the same relations of extraction and the same practices of enclosure and plunder are maintained. A just transition in the region must grapple with the power of fossil capital, challenge the extension of the (neo)colonial dynamics of plunder and dispossession as well as the dehumanisation of the other through the creation of new/green sacrifice zones. It also means centering Palestine liberation as a climate justice issue. Fighting for a just energy transition and climate justice equally entails exposing the policies and practices that protect global and local political elites, multinational corporations and military regimes. Hamza Hamouchene is an Algerian researcher and activist. He is currently the Arab Region Programme Coordinator at the Transnational Institute (TNI). He is the author/editor of five books: Towards Palestinian Liberation: Global Perspectives on Anti-Colonial Resistance & Solidarity (Daraja Press, 2026); Dismantling Green Colonialism: Energy and Climate Justice in the Arab Region (Pluto, 2023); The Arab Uprisings: A Decade of Struggles (2022); The Struggle for Energy Democracy in the Maghreb (2017); and The Coming Revolution in North Africa: The Struggle for Climate Justice (2015). Events Access & Inclusivity At York St John University we are committed to making our events as welcoming and inclusive for as many people as possible. 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