Water politics
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Water Politics is the proposed exploitation of access and use of water as a tool of international, domestic and regional politics, used to exert control over other states or groups. Access and use of Water in terms of flowing rivers, dams and lakes is of increasing importance since the early 1990s and before this time, with many groups struggling to obtain dominance over this vital, dwindling resource. While not yet considered as influential as petroleum or strategic positioning, especially in terms of international trade and influence, It has been predicted by Isamil Serageldin, World Bank Vice President that ‘Many of the wars of the 20th century were about oil, but wars of the 21st century will be over water’, citing the growing in importance of this commodity at a world scale. Through this comes the concept of Water Politics, which is believed by many in the field of International relations, particularly in relation to the water-deprived regions of the Middle East, to be a strong existing political force, continuing to grow in relevance every day with the growth of Global warming and increased desertification.
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[edit] Water as a critical resource
As declared by the WHO a human being is required to consume 20 litres of fresh water per day. From country to country this specific figure varies, as is the case with westernised nations having ready access to decontaminating water for human consumption, and bringing it to every home. At the same time, nations across Latin America, parts of South East Asia, Africa and the Middle East are unable to obtain such facilities at the scales required, for various reasons, meaning the quantity of fresh water consumed per capita is reduced, leading to disease, starvation and death.
Fresh water is a vital human resource, as it is involved in virtually all Primary Industries — including Forestry, Agriculture and mining — and by extension many Secondary and Tertiary Industries, it can be dammed to create power in the form of hydroelectricity, rivers are often serve as the boundaries and demarcations between nations, and also; perhaps most importantly, fresh water is a fundamental requirement of all living organisms, Crops, Livestock and Humanity included. Therefore, via extension it is obvious that the need for control over a supply of fresh water is constant, and that, in order to maintain its own survival it is vital for any state entity to seize or continue to control fresh water sources.
[edit] Middle Eastern context
Water politics is not an emerging field within international relations discourse, nor is it a force insignificant in comparison to other political pressures, such as those of critical infrastructure (for example, Oil for the United States), or that of strategic geopolitical control (for example, control of the Suez canal or Persian Gulf). In the context of the Middle East, with a multitude of existing national, subnational, ideological, ethnic, religious and pan-national tensions, conflicts and associations, water politics has already been considered to have played a major role in tensions between Iraq, Syria and Turkey in 1990, when Turkey commenced the Southeastern Anatolia Project (also known as GAP) to dam sections of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers north of the Syrian/Turkey border. Immediately without control of their waterways Syria and Iraq formed an alliance, overstepping all previous forces which had divided the national entities, to confront the issue of water control.
Within the Middle East, all major rivers cross at least one international border, with rivers like the Tigris and Euphrates crossing through three major Middle Eastern nations. This means that the nations, cities and towns downstream from the next are hugely effected by the actions and decisions of other groups whom one has little practical control over. In particular this is evident with the cutting of water supply from one nation to the next, just as issues of air pollution effect the states surrounding that which is producing the pollution initially. It is believed that up to 50% of water required for any specific state within the Middle East finds its source in another state.
With massive birth rates in the Middle East it can only perceived that the need for water will increase, and it has been recently told by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, the only conceivable flashpoint Egypt may encounter as it heads into the 21st century is the control of fresh water resources.
[edit] Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Water politics adds another dimension to the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Statistics obtained from the Global Research Centre indicate that for the 3.7 million Palestinians living in Gaza and the West Bank, approximately 260–290 MCM/yr of Fresh water are consumed, this figure including domestic, agricultural and industrial consumption. At the same time, 6.4 million Israelis have a total water consumption of 2,129 MCM/yr. It is believed that Palestinians receive between 57–76 litres per capita per day, while Israelis consume 400 litres, settlers 800 litres (due to increased agricultural activity).
[edit] Sources
- Global Research Centre, 2005
