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. This powerpoint addresses several issues dealing with water in the middle east. From their nature arid and semiarid areas are char acterized by scarcity of water with all the affiliated unfavourable attributes. Several peace treaties have been signed to restore peace between israel and the middle east arabic countries. A budget of the surface and underground water in northern jordan pages. Middle east water conflicts and directions for conflict. Water and conflict in the middle east middle east institute. 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. M ore than any other region, the middle east and north africa mena is plagued by instability and conflict. This answer will strike any as a copout off other answers but it really isnt, because when you really think about it, its all of them.
Pdf middle east water conflicts and directions for conflict resolution. 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. Conflict in the world and possible solutions middle east. The middle east water project article pdf available november 2002 with 147 reads how we measure reads. 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. Pdf optimal water management and conflict resolution. Water has grown to be a key player in many political conflicts in the middle east and north africa. Ghazi ismail rababaa head department of political science international islamic university of science p.
For nearly two decades, the pacific institute has been tracking, analyzing, and cataloging instances of conflict over water resources see box wb 3. Given the current amount of water available per capita, the high. The intensity of a water conflict can be exacerbated by a regions geographical, geopolitical, or hydropolitical landscape. The conflict has seen israel engaging in war with other nations such as egypt, iran, turkey and saudi arabia bennis, 2007.
The ataturk dam makes an implicit problem explicit, says elias salameh, director of the water research and study center at the university of jordan. Water resources and conflict in the middle east by nurit kliot. In face of these challenges, interventions in domestic agricultural sectors have the potential to offset many negative impacts on the region. Bulloch and darwishs water wars does not greatly help in the study of water in the middle east. Water security in the protracted crises and postcon. Water issues are multifaceted and will continue to affect the political stability of the middle east and north africa, if not addressed. 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. Please be aware that any timeline is fraught with dangers.
The middle east has often been viewed as the best example of a region where disputes over water resources can lead to violent conflict. 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. Middle east water conflicts and directions for conflict resolution. Israelis, arabs, and palestinians would develop very different timelines. However, with respect to the middle east, much of the media coverage and a. This huge region extends from the maghreb, comprising morocco, algeria, tunisia, libya, and sometimes mauritania, into the mashriq, comprising. Countries like turkey that place dams upstream decrease the water supply to others countries in desperate need. 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.
This is the beginning of water conflict in the middle east. The israelipalestine conflict is a major concern for most of the countries in the middle east. This document is intended to assist water development practitioners, civil. Inside story presenter shiulie ghosh is joined by gue. These water problems have become interwoven with deep. 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. The effects of climate change on already scarce fresh water resources in the mena region poses an existential risk and a potential for conflict.
Despite the rhetoric, there is little evidence that water has caused armed conflict in the region. This is the extent of the ottoman caliphate under suleiman the magnificent. Gleick and matthew heberger violence over freshwater has a long and distressing history. However, disputes over water, whether scarce or abundant, do not always result in violence. Water challenges and cooperative response in the middle east. The politics of water water and conflict in the middle east. 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. This book demonstrates hope, optimism and the belief that people with good will can help contribute to peace. The middle east is a region of international concern and political unrest.
Sw asiamiddle east, with much of the land being arid. The controversy surrounds the water of the euphrates, in. In the middle east, water may be more important than either. Water scarcity fuels tensions across the middle east. First mesopotamian water forum addresses key challenges to regional water management. Where water is a trigger of conflict, the principal factors include water scarcity and disputes over access to water sources. Much of the worlds population lacks adequate clean water, either because of physical scarcity or because they are denied equitable access to water resources. What are the causes of conflict in the middle east. Waterrelated violence is common in many parts of the world and is generally expected to increase in the years ahead. 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.
Water brief 3 water and conflict events, trends, and analysis 20112012 peter h. 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. Water is the most important resource in the middle east chapter 1. 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. Indeed, many authors note that water was a major cause of the 1967 war between israel and its arab neighbours. 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. The tigris river crosses the border from turkey into iraq and poses no problems regarding water supply. Box 1101 amman 11947 amman jordan abstract this study aims at shedding light on the most important. Water resources and conflict in the middle east 1st. Water, drought, climate change, and conflict in syria. Water in the middle east and north africa fanack water. Conflict has traditionally been caused by political, military, ethnic and religious issues. The devastating civil war that began in syria in march 2011 is the result of complex interrelated factors.
Lack of water and water rights may lead to water wars in the future. The middle east is already prone to water conflict and is likely to remain so, says the report. 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. 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. Water conflict in the middle east international journal of.
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. 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. Coming conflicts in the middle east middle east policy. However, water scarcity not only brings conflict to these regions, but also plays its part in building cooperation. 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. 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. Economic and political adjustments to scarce water in the middle east t. 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. However, giving a broad overview of the events surrounding the water disputes in the middle east region will help in.
Middle east water conflicts and directions for conflict resolution aaron t. 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. A source of conflict of coopeariton in the middle east. Water scarcity in the middle east raises the risk of conflict between countries in the region. There are several evidence gaps on experiences and good practice for investing in water security in protracted crises and postconflict reconstruction in mena. Water and peace in the middle east, volume 58 1st edition. Approaches to assessing water security in the middle east have primarily focused on transboundary issues. Water ownership, management, and use are among the most critical problems confronting the modern middle east. Bled dry international committee of the red cross icrc. Middle east faces water shortages for the next 25 years. Most literature assumes that humanitarian missions will operate in environments with limited.
1599 907 326 690 245 1478 623 2 1074 790 667 1524 47 475 1223 341 1492 1146 1467 1318 1507 286 1561 1052 733 632 290 933 952 463 941 225 525 231 553 155 1135 790 1194 589 1008 766 628 1151 1360