Water Politics

3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

The complexity of water as a multi-dimensional strategic resource has been extensively highlighted in recent years. Its vital importance is exacerbated in arid and semi-arid regions such as the Middle East. By reviewing trends in the scholarship, the course addresses some of the conceptual and contemporary issues relating to the impacts and effects of managing shared water resources in the context of armed conflicts, settler-colonialism and within inequitable historical, political and economic structures. By providing a combination of theory and case-study analysis, the objective is to introduce students to the scholarly and policy debates that continue to animate the realm of international relations and environmental politics. By the end of term, students should be able to understand issues relating to hydropolitics and the potential for social and political conflict. power asymmetry in international river basins and the weaponization of water resources, climate, water and food security. Considering the many international dimensions of water, the discussions will also incorporate policy, economic, environmental and legal perspectives. The course aims to provide students with theoretical tools to analyze situations of water cooperation and conflict. Empirical cases will be mainly drawn from the Middle East, with additional insights from other regions (Europe, Africa).