New Study Predicts Tensions Over Middle East Water Shortages
17 December 2010
Palestinians throw stones at Israeli troops during clashes in the West Bank village of Iraq Burin, near Nablus, 15 May 2010 (file photo). Residents of the village said they are trying to prevent Jewish settlers from bathing in a water cistern Palestinians depend on for agriculture.
In the past, Middle East scholars have often pointed to shared river basins and disputes over underground water rights as causes for potential conflict between nations. That may not be surprising, because 10 of the 15 most water-poor countries in the world are in the region. But according to a new study by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, CSIS, in Washington, limited supplies of underground water within national borders of the Middle East pose a more immediate challenge.
Jon Alterman, director of the Middle East Program at CSIS and author of the new study, says water is a fundamental part of the social contract in Middle Eastern countries.
"Water is deeply tied in to how all these governments work," noted Alterman. "Water is a way to reward people; water is a way to build allegiances, and water is a sign that a government can actually do things. If the water goes away then suddenly the whole deal that holds the government together goes away. That is a fundamental problem for these governments and the people who live under them."
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