Coming conflicts in the middle east middle east policy. Conflict in the world and possible solutions middle east. Given the current amount of water available per capita, the high. The conflict has seen israel engaging in war with other nations such as egypt, iran, turkey and saudi arabia bennis, 2007. However, giving a broad overview of the events surrounding the water disputes in the middle east region will help in. Water issues are multifaceted and will continue to affect the political stability of the middle east and north africa, if not addressed. This huge region extends from the maghreb, comprising morocco, algeria, tunisia, libya, and sometimes mauritania, into the mashriq, comprising. Israelpalestinian water issues from conflict to cooperation leading palestinian, israeli and international water experts document the importance of mutual understanding, respect and amity among peoples during a difficult period of stress. The middle east is a region of international concern and political unrest. The controversy surrounds the water of the euphrates, in. The conflict over water from the jordan river and nearby aquifers has long been a tangled affair which has enmeshed israel, jordan, lebanon, syria and the west. Middle east faces water shortages for the next 25 years. The focus of the conflict is regime change, but the triggers include a broad set of religious and sociopolitical factors, the erosion of the economic health of the country, a wave of political reform sweeping over the middle east and north africa mena and levant region, and challenges.
Indeed, many authors note that water was a major cause of the 1967 war between israel and its arab neighbours. However, with respect to the middle east, much of the media coverage and a sizable portion of scholarly writing have been devoted to water conflicts. Water availability has for millennia shaped the culture of the people in the part of the world now commonly referred to as the middle east and north africa. As for all transboundary rivers in the region there is not overall agreement on the sharing of water resources in the orontes river basin, but there is an agreement on water allocation between lebanon and syria and a memorandum of. Water scarcity fuels tensions across the middle east. The politics of water water and conflict in the middle east. Pdf optimal water management and conflict resolution. There are several evidence gaps on experiences and good practice for investing in water security in protracted crises and postconflict reconstruction in mena. However, disputes over water, whether scarce or abundant, do not always result in violence. The israelipalestine conflict is a major concern for most of the countries in the middle east.
Water is the most important resource in the middle east chapter 1. Water brief 3 water and conflict events, trends, and analysis 20112012 peter h. Water resources and conflict in the middle east by nurit kliot. What are the causes of conflict in the middle east. Inside story presenter shiulie ghosh is joined by gue. Who stands to gain from the historic deal signed to address a critical shortage of water in the region. Reducing the risks of violence over fresh water requires that we first understand the root causes, and second, work to reduce the factors that contribute to water and conflict. Water shortage is a salient issue in the middle east commonly overshadowed by more sensational topics such as the oil crisis and the arabisraeli conflict. Bulloch and darwishs water wars does not greatly help in the study of water in the middle east. This is the extent of the ottoman caliphate under suleiman the magnificent. Competition over natural resources, including water, is often viewed as a driver of conflict and has emerged as a key component in many current and past conflicts.
Economic and political adjustments to scarce water in the middle east t. Countries like turkey that place dams upstream decrease the water supply to others countries in desperate need. They are the importance of water, effects of drought, situations leading to conflictcooperation when dealing with water sources, water shortage solutions such as irrigation and desalination, and more. Ghazi ismail rababaa head department of political science international islamic university of science p. Several peace treaties have been signed to restore peace between israel and the middle east arabic countries. Wolf because of waters preeminent role in survival, political conflicts over international water resources tend to be particularly contentious. Waterrelated violence is common in many parts of the world and is generally expected to increase in the years ahead. In the middle east, a member of the egyptian parliament said that his countrys national security should not only be viewed in military terms, but also in terms of wars over water eldeen 1998. Water scarcity in the middle east raises the risk of conflict between countries in the region. Despite growing water demand, the middle east has shown no signs of a water war since some minor military events in the northern jordan valley in the early 1960s. The devastating civil war that began in syria in march 2011 is the result of complex interrelated factors. Water, drought, climate change, and conflict in syria. This report by the middle east institute argues that water scarcity is not just a natural scientific problem, but a political issue, which will lead to water wars. Sw asiamiddle east, with much of the land being arid.
The controversy over water in the middle east and the world by bahattin karakaya introduction since the cold war drew to an end the question of water resources in the near east has received increasing attention as efforts to engage turkey in this dispute have risen, and indeed as efforts have been made to link this issue to separatist movements. Despite the rhetoric, there is little evidence that water has caused armed conflict in the region. Water scarcity fuels tensions across the middle east we used to live unsafe lives because of explosions, now we are living without water, one iraqi farmer said. These events include mass palestinian migration to a newly declared palestinian state, transferring control of the west bank aquifer to the palestinian authority, loss of israeli control. This book forms a complete reference to both the hydrological as well as the social, economic, political and legal issues in the region and shows how water shortages threaten the renewal of military conflicts and disruption in the area. However, water scarcity not only brings conflict to these regions, but also plays its part in building cooperation. M ore than any other region, the middle east and north africa mena is plagued by instability and conflict.
This document is intended to assist water development practitioners, civil. Pdf in looking toward 2020, one of the most severe problems to be faced is an impending shortage of adequate supplies of fresh water essential for. Water and peace in the middle east, volume 58 1st edition. Box 1101 amman 11947 amman jordan abstract this study aims at shedding light on the most important challenges of water in the middle east, especially 90%. The modern middle east began after the first world war, when the ottoman empire was defeated by the british empire and their allies and partitioned into a number of separate entities, initially under british and french mandates. Israelis, arabs, and palestinians would develop very different timelines. Water resources and conflict in the middle east 1st. Gleick and matthew heberger violence over freshwater has a long and distressing history. Box 1101 amman 11947 amman jordan abstract this study aims at shedding light on the most important. This powerpoint addresses several issues dealing with water in the middle east. Human conflict over water in that region dates to biblical times.
Middle east water conflicts and directions for conflict resolution. Water has grown to be a key player in many political conflicts in the middle east and north africa. A scramble for water resources is under way in the middle east the water resources of middle east bring life and economic prosperity to the communities they pass by in the advanced industrial. A source of conflict of coopeariton in the middle east. Water ownership, management, and use are among the most critical problems confronting the modern middle east. This water crisis is not limited to the jordan basin, but extends throughout the middle east, en compassing also the watersheds of the nile and the. This book demonstrates hope, optimism and the belief that people with good will can help contribute to peace. Lack of water and water rights may lead to water wars in the future. First, water conflict can materialise when tensions involve access to and allocation of water.
In the middle east this lack of sufficient water coupled with the high growth rates of pop ulation constitutes serious water problems which has become e real political issue. Water and conflict in the middle east middle east institute. Where water is a trigger of conflict, the principal factors include water scarcity and disputes over access to water sources. Approaches to assessing water security in the middle east have primarily focused on transboundary issues. Water is a significant dimension of the decadesold conflict between palestine and israel. Please be aware that any timeline is fraught with dangers. The middle east water project article pdf available november 2002 with 147 reads how we measure reads. The tigris river crosses the border from turkey into iraq and poses no problems regarding water supply. Most literature assumes that humanitarian missions will operate in environments with limited.
A budget of the surface and underground water in northern jordan pages. For nearly two decades, the pacific institute has been tracking, analyzing, and cataloging instances of conflict over water resources see box wb 3. The middle east is already prone to water conflict and is likely to remain so, says the report. In the middle east, water may be more important than either. Water conflict in the middle east international journal of. Conflict has traditionally been caused by political, military, ethnic and religious issues.
From their nature arid and semiarid areas are char acterized by scarcity of water with all the affiliated unfavourable attributes. Pdf middle east water conflicts and directions for conflict resolution. Discussions of transboundary water issues in regions of the developing world other than the middle east have tended to focus on development potential and poverty reduction. These water problems have become interwoven with deep.
Water in the middle east and north africa fanack water. The international panel on climate change ipcc projects that the middle east and north africa mena will be one of the worlds regions hit hardest by climate change in the 21 st century, particularly due to increased heat and aridity. Middle east water conflicts and directions for conflict. However, with respect to the middle east, much of the media coverage and a. First mesopotamian water forum addresses key challenges to regional water management. Bled dry international committee of the red cross icrc. The middle east in particular has been plagued by water scarcity throughout recorded history kaniewski et al.
The effects of climate change on already scarce fresh water resources in the mena region poses an existential risk and a potential for conflict. The ataturk dam makes an implicit problem explicit, says elias salameh, director of the water research and study center at the university of jordan. In several international river basins in asia, africa and the middle east, competing and disputing riparian countries are now moving towards a cooperative sharing arrangement. In face of these challenges, interventions in domestic agricultural sectors have the potential to offset many negative impacts on the region. Water security in the protracted crises and postcon. Water challenges and cooperative response in the middle east. The intensity of a water conflict can be exacerbated by a regions geographical, geopolitical, or hydropolitical landscape. This is the beginning of water conflict in the middle east.
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