Water Security in the Middle East

Description

A comprehensive examination of water security problems in transboundary water systems in the Middle East.

Water Security in the Middle East argues that, while conflicts over transboundary water systems in the Middle East do occur, they tend not to be violent nor are they the primary cause of a war in this region. The contributors in this collection of essays place water disputes in larger political, historical and scientific contexts and discuss how the humanities and social sciences contribute towards this understanding. The authors contend that international sharing of scientific and technological advances can significantly increase access to water and improve water quality. While scientific advances can and should increase adaptability to changing environmental conditions, especially climate change, national institutional reform and the strengthening of joint commissions are vital. The contributors indicate ways in which cooperation can move from simple coordination to sophisticated, adaptive and equitable modes of water management.

List of Illustrations; Acknowledgments; Foreword by Roberto L. Lenton; Introduction. Water Security in the Middle East: A Role for the Social Sciences and Humanities - Jean Axelrad Cahan; Chapter 1. Cooperation Rules: Insights on Water and Conflict from International Relations - Patrice C. McMahon; Chapter 2. Water Security in Transboundary Systems: Cooperation in Intractable Conflicts and the Nile System - Jenny R. Kehl; Chapter 3. Water- Demand Management in the Arab Gulf States: Implications for Political Stability - Hussein A. Amery; Chapter 4. A Watershed- Based Approach to Mitigating Transboundary Wastewater Conflicts between Israel and the Palestinian Authority: The Besor- Hebron- Be’er Sheva Watershed - Clive Lipchin and Tamee Albrecht; Chapter 5. The Evolution of Israeli Water Management: The Elusive Search for Environmental Security - Alon Tal. Chapter 6. Adapting to Climatic Variability along International River Basins in the Middle East - Neda A. Zawahri; Chapter 7. Water and Politics in the Tigris– Euphrates Basin: Hope for Negative Learning? - David P. Forsythe; Chapter 8. The Political and Cultural Dimensions of Water Diplomacy in the Middle East - Lawrence E. Susskind; Notes on Contributors; Index.

Sujets

• POLITICAL SCIENCE
• River
• Environmental management
• Peace
• Rivers
• Paix

Informations

• Publié par: Anthem Press
• Date de parution: 02 janvier 2017
• Nombre de lectures: 1
• EAN13: 9781783085682
• Langue: English

Extrait

Water Security in the Middle East
ANTHEM WATER DIPLOMACY SERIES
More effective resolution of our increasingly complex, boundary-crossing water problems demands integration of scientific knowledge of water in both natural and human systems along with the politics of real-world problem solving. Water professionals struggle to translate ideas that emerge from science and technology into the messy context of the real world. We need to find more effective ways to bridge the divide between theory and practice and resolve complex water management problems when natural, societal and political elements cross multiple sectors and interact in unpredictable ways. The Anthem Water Diplomacy Series is a step in that direction. Contributions in this series diagnose water governance and management problems, identify intervention points and possible policy changes, and propose sustainable solutions that are sensitive to diverse viewpoints as well as conflicting values, ambiguities and uncertainties.

Series Editor
Shafiqul Islam – Tufts University, USA

Editorial Board
Yaneer Bar-Yam – New England Complex Systems Institute, USA
Qingyun Duan – Beijing Normal University, China
Peter Gleick – Pacific Institute, USA
Jerson Kelman – Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Greg Koch – Global Water Stewardship, The Coca Cola Company, USA
Dennis Lettenmaier – University of Washington, USA
Patricia Mulroy – Southern Nevada Water Authority, USA
Ainun Nishat – BRAC University, Bangladesh
Stuart Orr – WWF International, Switzerland
Salman Salman – Fellow, International Water Resources Association (IWRA), France
Poh-Ling Tan – Griffith Law School, Australia
Vaughan Turekian – American Association for the Advancement of Science, USA
Anthony Turton – University of Free State, South Africa
Sergei Vinogradov – University of Dundee, UK
Patricia Wouters – University of Dundee, UK
Water Security in the Middle East
Essays in Scientific and Social Cooperation
Edited by Jean Axelrad Cahan
Anthem Press
An imprint of Wimbledon Publishing Company

www.anthempress.com

This edition first published in UK and USA 2017

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© 2017 Jean Axelrad Cahan editorial matter and selection; individual chapters © individual contributors

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ISBN-13: 978-1-78308-566-8 (Hbk)
ISBN-10: 1-78308-566-5 (Hbk)

This title is also available as an e-book.
CONTENTS
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Foreword
Roberto L. Lenton Introduction Water Security in the Middle East: A Role for the Social Sciences and Humanities Jean Axelrad Cahan Chapter 1. Cooperation Rules: Insights on Water and Conflict from International Relations Patrice C. McMahon Chapter 2. Water Security in Transboundary Systems: Cooperation in Intractable Conflicts and the Nile System Jenny R. Kehl Chapter 3. Water-Demand Management in the Arab Gulf States: Implications for Political Stability Hussein A. Amery Chapter 4. A Watershed-Based Approach to Mitigating Transboundary Wastewater Conflicts between Israel and the Palestinian Authority: The Besor-Hebron-Be’er Sheva Watershed Clive Lipchin and Tamee Albrecht Chapter 5. The Evolution of Israeli Water Management: The Elusive Search for Environmental Security Alon Tal Chapter 6. Adapting to Climatic Variability along International River Basins in the Middle East Neda A. Zawahri Chapter 7. Water and Politics in the Tigris–Euphrates Basin: Hope for Negative Learning? David P. Forsythe Chapter 8. The Political and Cultural Dimensions of Water Diplomacy in the Middle East Lawrence E. Susskind
Notes on Contributors
Index
ILLUSTRATIONS
Figures
2.1 International river basins, country cases in eight hydropolitical complexes
4.1 Untreated sewage flowing in the stream at Umm Batin, a Bedouin village northeast of Be’er Sheva
4.2 Besor–Hebron–Be’er Sheva watershed in Israel and the PA
4.3 Model of analysis framework for transboundary stream restoration
4.4 Schematic of integrated watershed management process
4.5 The complexity of governance within the watershed
4.6 Municipalities color coded by demographic
4.7 The Be’er Sheva River Parkway as it is today with untreated sewage fl owing in the stream
5.1 Geographic asymmetry: Israel’s evaporation and precipitation levels
5.2 Israel’s desalination production centers
Tables
2.1 The effects of specific types of leverage on cooperation versus conflict in hydropolitical complexes
3.1 Total population size and total fertility in select countries
3.2 Advantages, disadvantages and possible risks of wastewater reuse
3.3 Cost of desalinated water over time (in US dollars per cubic meter)
3.4 Water tariffs in the GCC countries
3.5 Costs of low energy and water prices in the GCC countries
4.1 GIS database datasets and sources
4.2 Results of water quality from grab samples collected in June and December 2013
4.3 Participant affiliations from the June 26, 2014, stakeholder meeting in Beit Jala
8.1 The Water Diplomacy Framework (WDF) and the Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM)
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The Ruth Kroon Fund, under the auspices of the Norman and Bernice Harris Center for Judaic Studies, and the Robert B. Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute at the University of Nebraska provided generous support for the symposium associated with this volume. Dr. Adam R. Thompson, assistant director of the Kutak Center for Applied Ethics at University of Nebraska, contributed valuable research assistance.
FOREWORD
The importance of water and food security in the Middle East, the most water-short region in the world and one where food supplies are often impacted by drought, cannot be overstated. A significant proportion of the population of this region is both food insecure and water insecure—without access to enough safe and nutritious food nor an acceptable quantity and quality of water to lead healthy and active lives—and exposed to frequent droughts. Ensuring sustainable food and water security for the people of this region in the face of rising population and income, a changing climate, and growing demands for scarce water resources amid falling groundwater tables and increasing water pollution and salinization is one of the region’s most urgent challenges, with significant political, environmental, social and economic implications. Indeed, prospects for peace and security in the Middle East depend to a very significant degree on water and food security.
This water and food challenge is exacerbated by and intertwined with the civil war in Syria and related conflicts and civil unrest in many other countries in the area. While not everyone agrees that water shortages and inadequate responses to a severe and long-lasting drought were among the root causes of the outbreak of the civil war in Syria, there is little doubt that the large numbers of refugees in neighboring countries have strained limited water supplies. The water and food security situations of the various countries of the region are further linked because so many countries depend on surface and underground water resources that cross international borders. Few countries in the region can fully control their water resources without engaging in cooperative approaches with other countries, which is fraught with difficulties in a region wracked by war and unrest. A major question in the region is therefore whether the quest for water and food security going forward will advance efforts toward cooperation and peace building or lead to further competition and conflict. While some observers have talked gloomily about the prospects for “water wars,” several scholars have argued persuasively that water is more often a mechanism for bringing people together to forge common solutions than a cause of war or violence.
This message is reinforced by Water Security in the Middle East: Essays in Scientific and Social Cooperation , and is one reason why it is exceptionally timely. The book arose out of a symposium on water in the Middle East jointly organized and sponsored by the University of Nebraska Norman and Bernice Harris Center for Judaic Studies and the Global Studies Program as well as the Robert B. Daugherty Water for Food Institute at the University of Nebraska in May 2014. The event brought together leading scholars and practitioners in water rights, conflict resolution and environmental studies in the region to discuss how water security in the Middle East will affect political and cultural discourse in the future. The event, organized by Jean Cahan, then director of the Harris Center, and Patrice C. McMahon, associate professor in University of Nebraska’s Department of Political Science, aimed to raise awareness that water i