Hydro-Politics Along the Jordan River

5701 Words12 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Water shortages middle east

Hydro-Politics Along the Jordan River

One of the most important yet under-appreciated conflicts in the Middle East is over water resources along the Jordan River. As population and demand for water in the riparian states of Israel, Jordan, Palestine, and Syria have sky-rocketed, water scarcity in the desert region has reached crisis proportions. In response, leaders on all sides have entered into a dialogue, known as "hydro-politics," that has been characterized by an unyielding attitude of political conservatism set against an understanding that regional cooperation is the riparians' surest salvation. The answer lies in a combination of hydro-diplomacy and technology. With the aid of countries and NGOs outside of the regions, water-sharing agreements between states are under negotiation. Technologies such as reverse-osmosis desalinization and drip irrigation are also combining with water conservation policies to form technical solutions to the problem. One way or another, the problem of water scarcity must be solved and it is hoped that an eventual solution will be one that encourages further cooperation rather than an event triggering hostility. After a thorough review of options for the Jordan River states, it seems that the best solution will integrate technology, conservation, and political cooperation. The last is crucial; without regional cooperation, the Jordan riparians face a future that is both bloody and dry.

Water has always been an issue of conflict in the Middle East, where rising populations, agricultural development and urbanization have put an unprecedented strain on the environment. Since the end of World War II and the creation of the state of Israel in 1948, Israel, Jordan, and Syria have professed com...

... middle of paper ...

...://www.osmonics.com/products/Page833.htm, 22 November 1999.

Remco Engineering, "Questions About Reverse Osmosis," 29 July 1999, online: http://www.remco.com/ro_quest.htm, 22 November 1999.

Biswas 110-115.

Nachmani 87.

Beschrorner 3.

Beschrorner 5.

Committee on Sustainable Water Supplies for the Middle East, 48.

Thomas R. Stauffer, Water and War in the Middle East: The Hydraulic Parameters of Conflict (Washington: The Center for Policy Analysis on Palestine, July 1996) 14-15.

Sandra Postel, Last Oasis: Facing Water Scarcity (New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1992) 103-106.

J. A. Allan, "Striking the 'Right Price' for Water?" Water in the Middle East: Legal, Political, and Commercial Implications. J. A. Allan and Chibli Mallat, eds. (New York: Touris Academic Studies, 1995) 325.

Committee on Sustainable Water Supplies for the Middle East, 100-116.

Show More
Related

  • Maude Barlow's Water Incorporated

    841 Words  | 2 Pages

    Maude Barlow’s “Water Incorporated: The Commodification of the World’s Water” gives a voice to a very real, but vastly unknown, issue: the privatization of water. I refer to it as vastly unknown because it wasn’t until this article that I was even aware such a power struggle existed. Barlow first introduces startling statistics, meant to grab the attention of its readers. Once she has your attention, she introduces the “new generation of trade and investment agreements.” (306)

    Read More

  • Summary Of The Film 'Last Call At The Oasis'

    652 Words  | 2 Pages

    “Last Call at the Oasis” is a documentary about our world’s water crisis. The film discusses how many large cities in America are getting closer to use up their available water, how many areas across the globe do not have access to drinking water and are forced to drink contaminated water, how water shortages are causing acts of violence and are causing stress to agricultural communities, and a possible solution of using recycle water to stop us from wasting so much water. The film goes around the globe to talk to scientists who are studying contaminated water, people who have become very sick due to this water, and to the agricultural community in Australia where, unfortunately, some farmers have take their own lives due to water shortages.

    Read More

  • Water Scarcity: Privatization is Not the Solution

    1213 Words  | 3 Pages

    "Stop SUEZ! Water for People and the Planet, Not for Profit!." World Prout Assembly. 2005. Proutist Universal. 7 May 2009.

    Read More

  • The Effect of Recycled Water Irrigation on Young Olive Trees

    1166 Words  | 3 Pages

    Water shortage in arid and semi-arid regions and declining its availability to a crisis ...

    Read More

  • In The Crossfire

    2272 Words  | 5 Pages

    Salman, Salman MA. "The New State of South Sudan and the Hydro-politics of the Nile Basin." Water International 36.2 (2011): n. pag. Taylor and Francis Online. Web. 10 Mar. 2014.

    Read More

  • Ending Starvation

    3213 Words  | 7 Pages

    Across the globe in impoverished third world countries an estimated 50,000 children die of starvation every day (Quine 36). We have all seen the images of these children--bloated bellies, fly covered, bulging eyes--in television pleas by various charitable organizations. While these images sicken us, we idly sit by (often flipping the channel to avoid them), refusing to help these less fortunate kids. The problem is made worse by the ever-increasing population. Even the wealthy countries like our own now have a starvation problem (Quine 29). Admittedly, the problem here is less severe, but it still exists. With our current level of technology, the resources at our disposal, and a commitment to help those less fortunate, we can and must end starvation around the world before it gets worse.

    Read More

  • Will There Be Peace in the Middle East

    1447 Words  | 3 Pages

    Sørli, Mirjam, Nils Gleditsch, and Håvard Strand. "Why Is There so Much Conflict in the Middle East? ." The Journal of Conflict Resolution 49.1 (2005): 141-165. JSTOR. Web. 8 June 2011.

    Read More

  • Action Against Hunger In Feeding America

    917 Words  | 2 Pages

    Imagine living but not eating, needing, but not having. In the United States there are currently forty-six point seven million people in poverty; forty-eight point one million people with food insecure that is including thirty-two point eight million adults and fifteen point three million children. It is painful to know that there are people that do not make it through the night because of not having any food. Those people have to wake up to no food and go to sleep with no food. The definition of ‘hunger’ is the feeling of discomfort or weakness caused by lack of food, coupled with the desire to eat. Action against Hunger says “At least one million malnourished children die every year because they lack access to the necessary treatment. Seventeen

    Read More

  • Syria and the Arab Spring

    1606 Words  | 4 Pages

    Quarterly, inc. "Syria." The Middle East. 11th ed. Washington, D.C.: CQ Press, 2007. 437 - 456. Print.

    Read More

  • World Hunger Research Paper

    712 Words  | 2 Pages

    World hunger is a struggle that has been battled for hundreds of years. Dosomething.org reports that overall, there are over 805 million people experiencing world hunger, which

    Read More

  • Water Issues in South Asia

    13430 Words  | 27 Pages

    This, however, does not mean that India is solely responsible for certain deadlocks, even though its share of responsibility may be larger than other countries which have their own physical limitations and political apprehensions. As elsewhere in the world, and more particularly in the subcontinent where population explosion continues and environmental degradation worsens, water resources, like energy, are going to be much lower than the increasing demand, even if they are harnessed to the most optimum. Given the depleting resources of water, the issues of human security, and water security as its most crucial part, are going to assume astronomical proportions. The issues of water distribution and management are bringing not only countries of the region, but also states and regions within provinces into conflict since they are not being settled amicably within a grand framework of riparian statutes respecting upstream and downstream rights. What is, however, quite appreciable is that the countries of the subcontinent have made certain remarkable efforts to resolve their differences over water distribution through bilateral agreements.

    Read More

  • Terrorism in the 21st Century

    3445 Words  | 7 Pages

    Telhami, Shibley. "Understanding the Challenge." The Middle East Journal 25 (2002): 9-18. The Middle East Journal. Web. 22 May 2011.

    Read More

  • The Problem of Water Scarcity

    1538 Words  | 4 Pages

    Miller, Debra A. Will the World Run out of Fresh Water? Detroit: Greenhaven, 2007. Print.

    Read More

  • Water Pollution In Lebanon Essay

    1915 Words  | 4 Pages

    Have you ever experienced water shortage? Have you ever paid to access public areas? Have you ever seen a brown river? Welcome to Lebanon. “Thousands have lived without love, none without water” (Auden, 1940). The genuine predicament lies in the mismanagement of the water resources, not in the amount of available water in Lebanon. As the international population is growing, the need for water is increasing at the same rate. Therefore, it is essential to manage the remaining resources rationally for the better of the international community. The epidemic of neglecting the eminence of water in Lebanon is best illustrated when it comes to water pollution, lack of water conservation methods, and unjust beach dredging. On the other hand, this significant issue could be resolved by the collaborative efforts of the Lebanese society and authority.

    Read More

  • The Global Water Crisis

    2639 Words  | 6 Pages

    "Water Crisis." World Water Council. 7th World Water Council, 2012. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. http://www.worldwatercouncil.org/library/archives/water-crisis/

    Read More

More about Hydro-Politics Along the Jordan River

Open Document