Kalpakian tests the dominant assumption that water disputes cause violent conflict between states and other actors in world politics. Using case studies from arid regions to bias the effort towards this assumption, he finds that issues related to identity have been the real source of conflict in the river basins studied. This essential volume: - challenges conventional assumptions about water and conflict - displaces the state as the sole actor in violent conflict - reveals the link between conflict and identity This book invites the reader to address the complexity in the relationships binding peoples and states in an international river basin.
It's often claimed that future wars will be fought over water. But while international water conflict is rare, it's common between subnational jurisdictions like states and provinces. Drawing on cases in the United States, China, India, and France, this book explains why these subnational water conflicts occur - and how they can be prevented.
Jack Kalpakian tests the dominant assumption that water disputes cause violent conflict between states and other actors in world politics. Using case studies from arid regions to bias the effort towards this assumption, he finds that issues related to identity have been the real source of conflict in the river basins studied. binding peoples and states in an international river basin.
With more than 50 percent of the world's landmass covered by river basins shared by two or more states, competition over water resources has always had the potential to spark violence. And growing populations and accelerating demands for fresh water are putting ever greater pressures on already scarce water resources. In this wide-ranging study, Arun Elhance explores the hydropolitics of six of the world's largest river basins. In each case, Elhance examines the basin's physical, economic, and political geography; the possibilities for acute conflict; and efforts to develop bilateral and multilateral agreements for sharing water resources. The case studies lead to some sobering conclusions about impediments to cooperation but also to some encouraging ones--among them, that it may not be possible for Third World states to solve their water problems by going to war, and that eventually even the strongest riparian states are compelled to seek cooperation with their weaker neighbors.
Water is a simple but necessary part of life. Yet much of the world's population lacks adequate clean water, either because of physical scarcity or because they are denied equitable access to water resources. Such conditions inevitably breed conflict. Water-related violence is common in many parts of the world and is generally expected to increase in the years ahead.This document is intended to assist water development practitioners, civil society peacebuilders and human rights advocates seeking to integrate water and peacebuilding in their work. The purpose is twofold: to furnish a conceptual framework for understanding problems of scarcity and equity, and to provide practical guidance and tools for action.The text distills an extensive literature on water, conflict, and cooperation produced in recent years by researchers and development practitioners. Case studies and reflections are included to keep theory grounded in reality.
The supply and management of fresh water for the world’s billions of inhabitants is likely to be one of the most daunting challenges of the coming century. For countries that share river basins with others, questions of how best to use and protect precious water resources always become entangled in complex political, legal, environmental, and economic considerations. This book focuses on the issues that face all international river basins by examining in detail the Nile Basin and the ten countries that lay claim to its waters. John Waterbury applies collective action theory and international relations theory to the challenges of the ten Nile nations. Confronting issues ranging from food security and famine prevention to political stability, these countries have yet to arrive at a comprehensive understanding of how to manage the Nile’s resources. Waterbury proposes a series of steps leading to the formulation of environmentally sound policies and regulations by individual states, the establishment of accords among groups of states, and the critical participation of third-party sources of funding like the World Bank. He concludes that if there is to be a solution to the dilemmas of the Nile Basin countries, it must be based upon contractual understandings, brokered by third-party funders, and based on the national interests of each basin state. “This excellent book makes a significant contribution to the rational discussion of Nile conflicts and should be helpful to many of the other 282 international river basins facing similar problems.”—Peter P. Rogers, Harvard University
This book examines the political economy that governs the management of international transboundary river basins in the developing world. These shared rivers are the setting for irrigation, hydropower and flood management projects as well as water transfer schemes. Often, these projects attempt to engineer the river basin with deep political, socio-economic and environmental implications. The politics of transboundary river basin management sheds light on the challenges concerning sustainable development, water allocation and utilization between sovereign states. Advancing conceptual thinking beyond simplistic analyses of river basins in conflict or cooperation, the author proposes a new analytical framework. The Transboundary Waters Interaction NexuS (TWINS) examines the coexistence of conflict and cooperation in riparian interaction. This framework highlights the importance of power relations between basin states that determine negotiation processes and institutions of water resources management. The analysis illustrates the way river basin management is framed by powerful elite decision-makers, combined with geopolitical factors and geographical imaginations. In addition, the book explains how national development strategies and water resources demands have a significant role in shaping the intensities of conflict and cooperation at the international level. The book draws on detailed case studies from the Ganges River basin in South Asia, the Orange–Senqu River basin in Southern Africa and the Mekong River basin in Southeast Asia, providing key insights on equity and power asymmetry applicable to other basins in the developing world.
This book is the first collection of state-of-the-art research projects analyzing water conflict and cooperation with an explicitly theoretical point of view. Its fourteen chapters offer a comprehensive and up-to-date overview on how the application of various theoretical perspectives can support the work of scholars and practitioners in mitigating water conflict and developing cooperation. The volume starts out from a literature review on the theorization of transboundary waters in International Relations, which prepares the ground for the demonstration of the latest approaches of scholars currently working on this field. The discussion of their findings is divided into four main sections. The first section deals with reflections and critiques on the grand theories of International Relations, proposing new and more nuanced frameworks for understanding and managing transboundary water relations by going beyond the traditional assumptions. The second section focuses on the catalysts and barriers of cooperation, applying theoretical frameworks which reveal the consequences of the dynamics in power relations and institutional frameworks. The third section investigates into the perspectives at the intersections of theory and practice related to the most practical field within the scope of the volume: water diplomacy. The fourth section introduces new perspectives to provide specific entry points for understanding and managing water conflict and cooperation. Overall, the work intends to demonstrate that the theorization of transboundary waters can significantly contribute to the deeper understanding and the more efficient management of water conflicts and cooperation from several aspects. The authors come from diverse backgrounds, and their individual careers are often related to the intersections of theory and practice in the field of transboundary water management. Their expertise covers water issues from all around the globe, which is reflected in the range of the analyzed case studies. The diversity of the experts involved, their backgrounds, their perspectives, the applied theories, and the analyzed cases was an important priority for the editors.
This book puts great emphasis on the importance of Integrated Water Resources Management IWRM as the way forward towards food, water, and energy security. It offers better ways and means of managing the limited water resources; using water more efficiently; adopting new policies in order to cope with climate change and drought; increase water supply through the use of non conventional water resources, especially waste water; inducing stakeholders participation and information exchange and raise public awareness to the value of water. It is an important book for all those involved in all aspects of water resources and contains valuable information for scientists, researchers, farmers, extension services and students.
This book provides a critical analysis of the impact of borders and divided governance on large rivers in federal political systems. The OECD has identified the global water crisis as one of governance and policy fragmentation. Population and economic
