Water resources availability, exploitation and management as an environmental security factor and a cause of tension and potential conflict in Southeast Mediterranean Politics

Abstract

The purpose of this dissertation is to analyze the effects of the water stress in certain areas of the Mediterranean and the interstate political tensions arising from the presence of extended transboundary water reserves in the region, which are being exploited by two or more neighboring countries, many times sharing a past of political, religious or ethnic conflicts. In the first chapter, we are referring to the concept of water security and the recurrent incidents of the use of water as a war weapon. In the second chapter, we describe the effects of climate change in MENA’s water scarce region, accentuated by the exploding population growth and the local food production. In the following chapters, we examine water related tensions in the Balkans’ area and Cyprus, while further on, we analyze the balances in the hydro-political complexes formed by the countries sharing the Tigris and Euphrates waters, the ones sharing the Jordan river basin and its surrounding water bodies and the countries sharing the waters of the Nile river in Africa. Finally, we pinpoint strategies for overcoming the region’s water scarcity and we conclude by suggesting ways of avoiding conflict and enhancing cooperation between countries sharing transboundary water resources.