Water Security in the Middle East: Essays in Scientific and Social Cooperation

by Jean Axelrad Cahan (Editor)

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781783085668
Publisher:	Anthem Press
Publication date:	01/02/2017
Series:	Science Diplomacy: Managing Food, Energy and Water Sustainably , #1
Edition description:	First
Pages:	230
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Jean Axelrad Cahan received her doctorate in philosophy from the Johns Hopkins University and has taught European philosophy and political theory for more than two decades.

Table of Contents

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.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“Water Security in the Middle East is a timely and optimistic contribution to the literature, otherwise known to have a pessimistic view on water scarcity and its consequences […] The book provides new, untapped evidence of what may constitute an arsenal of tools for water diplomacy to be employed by researchers and practitioners dealing with water scarcity and security.”
—Ariel Dinar, Professor of Environmental Economics and Policy, School of Public Policy, University of California, Riverside, USA

“In no part of the world is resolving regional hydropolitics as critical as in the arid and hostile Middle East, where lives, livelihoods and environmental health all rely on solutions to these seemingly intractable problems. This collection of the best thinking in the academy […] offers the intellectual depth and interdisciplinary breadth to help move these conversations forward in a tangible way. The book is ‘pracademic’ in the best sense, drawing on the objective analytical tools of the university, while rooting the work in the intracies and passions of the very real world.”
—Aaron Wolf, Professor of Geography and Director, Program in Water Conflict Management and Transformation, Oregon State University, USA

“As the importance of water grows worldwide, the search for narrowing gaps of science and policy also grows. But narrowing the gap has only sporadically included social sciences and other humanities. Water Security in the Middle East sets a path to showing how these underutilized disciplines help narrow the gap. […] The authors focus on the Middle East, which is a region with enormous resource and other social constraints on water [and] has seen such constraints transform into opportunities. The Middle East is also a region that has witnessed the power of water to be a venue of dialogue and to build cooperation. The book shines light on water’s historical role as humanity’s learning ground for building community far more than as a generator of conflict.”
—Jerome Delli Priscoli, Chair, Global Water Partnership Technical Committee, and Editor in Chief, Water Policy