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2023 | Buch

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Theorizing Transboundary Waters in International Relations

herausgegeben von: Kinga Szálkai, Máté Szalai

Verlag: Springer International Publishing

Buchreihe : Springer Water

Enthalten in: Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" , Springer Professional "Technik" , Springer Professional "Wirtschaft"

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Über dieses Buch

This book is the first collection of state-of-the-art research projects analyzing water conflict and cooperation with an explicitly theoretical point of view. Its fourteen chapters offer a comprehensive and up-to-date overview on how the application of various theoretical perspectives can support the work of scholars and practitioners in mitigating water conflict and developing cooperation.
The volume starts out from a literature review on the theorization of transboundary waters in International Relations, which prepares the ground for the demonstration of the latest approaches of scholars currently working on this field. The discussion of their findings is divided into four main sections. The first section deals with reflections and critiques on the grand theories of International Relations, proposing new and more nuanced frameworks for understanding and managing transboundary water relations by going beyond the traditional assumptions. The second section focuses on the catalysts and barriers of cooperation, applying theoretical frameworks which reveal the consequences of the dynamics in power relations and institutional frameworks. The third section investigates into the perspectives at the intersections of theory and practice related to the most practical field within the scope of the volume: water diplomacy. The fourth section introduces new perspectives to provide specific entry points for understanding and managing water conflict and cooperation.
Overall, the work intends to demonstrate that the theorization of transboundary waters can significantly contribute to the deeper understanding and the more efficient management of water conflicts and cooperation from several aspects.
The authors come from diverse backgrounds, and their individual careers are often related to the intersections of theory and practice in the field of transboundary water management. Their expertise covers water issues from all around the globe, which is reflected in the range of the analyzed case studies. The diversity of the experts involved, their backgrounds, their perspectives, the applied theories, and the analyzed cases was an important priority for the editors.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Frontmatter

Chapter 1. Introduction: Mixing Water and International Relations Theory

Abstract

15 years ago, a discussion started in Political Geography about the role of International Relations theories in understanding transboundary water issues. Furlong drew attention to the fact that the application of IR theories in transboundary water analysis is “implicit and unacknowledged”, which means a significant constraint for research programs. Zeitoun and Warner also admitted that the importance of the explicit integration of political theories “cannot be said to be truly resonant yet” in the global water community. Since then, the connections between IR theories and transboundary water analysis have been problematized more intensely, and explicitly theoretical accounts on transboundary waters are being published from time to time. The aim of this Introduction is to prepare the ground for the collection of the latest state-of-the-art findings of scholars working on related issues with reviewing the main traditional approaches towards theorizing transboundary waters within IR.

Kinga Szálkai, Máté Szalai

Revisiting ‘Grand Theories’

Frontmatter

Chapter 2. Theories of International Relations and the Hydropolitical Cycle: The Hydro-Trap and the Anarchic Nature of Water Conflict

Abstract

Transboundary water challenges have prompted by many scholars to investigate the relationship between water conflict/cooperation and International Relations theories. To connect theory with practice, this chapter explores the commonalities between the hydropolitical cycle (HPC) concept and some of the key theories of International Relations based on the case study of the Euphrates and Tiger river basins. The HPC framework is used to outline the possible hydropolitical consequences of water impoundment and connect them to various theories of International Relations (i.e. realism, structural realism, constructivism, and global governance). The results address the connection of these theories within the HPC components where different conflict stages and expected implications of controlling water have been embedded. Building massive dams may lead to inevitable conflicts between riparian countries and influence by regional or international anarchy. The results also show that differences in perception may lead to irrational actions at the state level, thus a global institutional framework is required to cope with the risks of water control. This work recommends a hands-on transboundary policy approach to managing the threats of utilizing massive dams in water impoundment, by adopting the Dam Index concept. A set of criteria are integrated within the Dam Index to rationalize the purpose and operation of dams, alleviate the distrust between riparian countries, and encourage cooperation to empower peacebuilding.

Sameh W. H. Al-Muqdadi

Chapter 3. Exploring the Sub-state–Supra-state Nexus in Transboundary Water Politics

Abstract

Theorizing transboundary water in International Relations (IR) theory explores the role of shared basins in shaping power dynamics between co-riparian states. The conflict-cooperation dichotomy expounds on shared water in a utilitarian context that can either cause conflict between or converge the interests of the riparian states. On the critical side, hydro-hegemony offers a basin-wide hegemon-subaltern dyadic based on state-centered power asymmetries and hierarchies. Contributing to the debate on exploring the political implications of shared basins, IR theory, however, failed to escape its simplistic and deterministic assumptions. Considering co-riparian states as unitary competitors that seek unitary interests, IR theory overlooked sub-national and global political imperatives of transboundary water. The theory also could not adequately examine the complex and multidirectional nature of power dynamics in shared rivers. By studying the roles of the Pakistan military and the World Bank in water governance in Pakistan, this chapter explores the sub-state—supra-state nexus in dominating transboundary water politics. The hegemonic control of Pakistan military serves group-based interests. By offering technical, financial, and conflict mitigation expertise, the World Bank advances its global agendas, as well as, enables the military’s domination in the water sector.

Atal Ahmadzai

Chapter 4. Trust in Transboundary Water Cooperation: A Social Constructivist Approach

Abstract

Many practitioners and scholars engaged in transboundary water cooperation acknowledge that factors such as trust, emotions, beliefs, values, and personal chemistry play a role in transboundary cooperation and conflict. At the same time, the prominent International Relations theories of (neo)realism and neoliberal institutionalism have limited explanatory power in explaining (non-)cooperation on transboundary rivers. Taking the phenomena of trust and mistrust and their implications on transboundary cooperation as an entry point, this chapter argues that social constructivism as a theory of International Relations can open up new and more nuanced perspectives for a better understanding of the dynamics in transboundary water interactions. The theoretical discussions are anchored in the Aral Sea basin as a case study.

Bota Sharipova

Conflict and Cooperation over Transboundary Waters

Frontmatter

Chapter 5. Hydro-Hegemony in East and Southeast Asia: The Case of the Lancang/Mekong River

Abstract

This chapter focuses on China and the Lancang/Mekong river within the Greater Mekong Subregion through the theory of hydro-hegemony to understand the transboundary water conflict in the region. Originating in the People’s Republic of China and flowing through five ASEAN nations, the Lancang/Mekong river has become a new source of international water conflict. The upper stream country, China, is interested in exploiting the hydropower capacity of the river to supply the energy needs of its eastern urban territories, whereas the downstream, developing countries, and most importantly, the poor people within these states are dependent on the river’s capacity to provide water for the agriculture as well as fish for their fishermen, while governments have also begun to investigate the possibility of hydropower utilization. China is expected to reshape the region and the river via the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC), the Belt and Road Initiative, and bilateral and multilateral agreements. Diverse trade agreements, infrastructure projects, and investments enable Beijing to exert direct influence over the fate of these countries in order to establish a secure border region. Through hydro-hegemony theory and the above-mentioned Chinese strategies created to control the water resources of the river, this chapter introduces the case of China and the Lancang/Mekong river, focusing on the Lancang cascade, an example of power asymmetry around a transboundary water issue, and analyzing China’s behavior as an obvious hegemon in the region.

Zoltán Vörös

Chapter 6. Reframing Transboundary Water Security

Abstract

Water security is one of the main goals of transboundary water policies. The current approaches to framing and achieving water security in transboundary river basins, however, are unsatisfactory and unsuccessful. Several factors interfering with establishing water security are overlooked by current approaches, including securitization and social dynamics, as well as neglecting environmental needs. This chapter aims to reframe the transboundary water security (TWS) perspective toward a more comprehensive and integrated approach to providing security. The foundations of TWS are investigated by scrutinizing what security is in International Relations and water security research. The chapter discusses who the security referent objects of transboundary arrangements are, and what actions and policies are needed to provide security. The theoretical investigations reveal the four security referent objects of state, development, society, and the ecosystem. Besides, the sustainability of referent objects is synthesized in a novel analytical framework. Nexus security, as a holistic approach which focuses on the complexity of referent objects and considers both negative and positive security is also suggested as a means to provide water security. Finally, the effectiveness and applicability of the developed framework is evaluated through practical investigations into the security of Afghanistan’s transboundary river basins. The results indicate that Afghanistan has most frequently considered the state and development to be referent objects of security, through water nationalism, hydraulic missions, and populist rhetoric, making TWS less sustainable. In this regard, reframing water security and adopting a nexus security perspective may assist policymakers in better understanding the ways to establish security in transboundary river basins.

Seyedeh Zahra Ghoreishi, Hojjat Mianabadi, Milad Jafari

Chapter 7. Water for Peace Revisited: Reconsidering the Role of Securitization in Water Cooperation

Abstract

This chapter identifies the elements that create a political and social environment conducive to water cooperation, using the case study of the Water for Peace (WfP) initiative by Türkiye and Israel in the early 2000s. The chapter is based on a historical analysis of the evolution of bilateral relations between the two countries, as well as secondary climate and water data to support the analysis. Water for Peace was an unsuccessful initiative that aimed to start collaboration on water between Türkiye and Israel, resting on the idea of using water for the de-escalation of tensions in the region by supplying water from Türkiye. This case shows how failing to involve civil society and particularly the business community undermines state-level efforts to tackle regional water-related challenges.

Ali Oguz Dirioz

Transboundary Water Diplomacy

Frontmatter

Chapter 8. The Evolution of Water Diplomacy Frameworks: The Euphrates-Tigris Basin as a Case Study

Abstract

Water diplomacy encompasses the processes and institutions through which the national interests and identities of sovereign states are represented to one another. It is enshrined in international law, which states use to explain and justify their policies to concerned actors in the international system. States mostly prefer traditional tools of water diplomacy such as negotiation and mediation to resolve disputes in transboundary river basins. This chapter explores water diplomacy along with its main principles and actors. On the one hand, the state has been the main actor in shaping transboundary water policies and conducting water diplomacy throughout the last few decades of water disputes. On the other hand, international organizations, international financial agencies, non-governmental organizations, and science-policy (Track II) initiatives also participate in water diplomacy. A brief discussion of emerging water diplomacy approaches is followed by a case study on the evolution of water diplomacy frameworks in the Euphrates-Tigris river basin.

Ayşegül Kibaroğlu

Chapter 9. Is Salmon Surprise on the Table? Indigenous Rights and Multi-Stakeholder Diplomacy in the Renegotiation of the Columbia River Treaty

Abstract

As a consequence of hydropower utilization and environmental change, the number of salmonids in the Columbia River Basin shared by the US and Canada declined sharply through the twentieth century. This meant a great economic and cultural loss for the Indigenous communities of the basin, especially as they could not participate in the decisions concerning their lands, societies, and future. The current renegotiation of the 1961 Columbia River Treaty, regulating flood control and hydropower production between the two states, offers a historic opportunity to address these problems. In order to modernize the Columbia River Treaty, however, a new understanding of transboundary water diplomacy is necessary. The authors argue that the renegotiation process needs to go beyond multi-stakeholder approaches and embrace the sovereignty of the Indigenous partners. The salmon issue, should it ultimately be addressed, could prove transformative for the relationship between Indigenous people and their tribal governments and other sovereigns, and it would mark a significant stride towards reconciliation and decolonizing policy in the US and Canada.

Kinga Szálkai, Mary Durfee

Chapter 10. The Role of Data Sharing in Transboundary Waterways: The Case of the Helmand River Basin

Abstract

While data and information exchanges theoretically play an effective role in the decision-making process of a shared watercourse, in practice, there are several challenges that prevent riparians from sharing data in an effective and cooperative manner. This chapter seeks to assess why the riparian nations of the Helmand River have failed to adopt an effective data exchange mechanism although both nations signed an internationally recognized bilateral water treaty in 1973. Applying a mixed study approach, the study draws on the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to interpret the main obstacles of data sharing between Afghanistan, the upstream state, and Iran, the downstream state, of the Helmand River Basin. Using both secondary literature data and stakeholder interviews, this research found a number of specific factors that impede the ability of the riparian nations of the Helmand River to share data and information, such as national security, political instability, lack of capacity, negative emotions, pride, and historical factors. Our research suggests that these underlying elements have been under-estimated in the TPB models of data sharing at the transboundary level. Thus, borrowing from Wehn’s model (2003b), we have developed a modified version of TPB to unpack the challenges of data sharing between the riparian states of the Helmand River Basin.

Najibullah Loodin, Gabriel Eckstein, Vijay P. Singh, Rosario Sanchez

New Perspectives on Transboundary Waters

Frontmatter

Chapter 11. Discourses and Hydropolitics: Stock-Taking and Future Directions

Abstract

Discourses can constitute a useful analytical tool for hydropolitics. By looking at discourses, i.e. the ideas and concepts we produce, reproduce, and transform into a particular bundle of practices, we can unpack how actors define the problems associated with water resources, the solutions considered, and the power relations underlying them. However, discourse analysis remains a relatively fuzzy approach, often operating as a “black box”, which hinders its systematic and structured use in hydropolitical studies. This chapter takes stock of how discourse is understood and analyzed in hydropolitics and identifies the gaps that may serve as future directions for strengthening the discursive approach in transboundary water studies. It illustrates its claims with examples from the Nile, the Jordan, and the Mekong basins.

Fatine Ezbakhe

Chapter 12. The Upstream–Downstream Structural Disparity and Transboundary Challenges of Public Health

Abstract

This chapter provides an overview of the public health challenges of international concern that are connected to the interaction between human activity, natural processes, and the broader environment, as it is mediated by rivers. The chapter is based on the premise that a One Water Basin/One Health perspective is necessary for a comprehensive appraisal of the subject, and a discussion of the latter is presented to lay the grounds for the ensuing analysis. The causal mechanisms of transboundary impact are then identified from the available empirical literature, with the aim of constructing analytical categories for assessment. The resulting categories are considered in order to be able to judge how the public health dimension of upstream–downstream interactions relates to the upstream–downstream structural disparity that fundamentally shapes relations between riparian states, and how it consequently adds to the incentive structure of international cooperation in water basin governance.

Péter Marton

Chapter 13. Transboundary Water Management Among Small Island Developing States: Dynamics of Conflict and Cooperation

Abstract

The chapter focuses on the role and behavior of small island developing states in issues concerning transboundary water management. Seas and oceans play a crucial role in the politics, economic survival, well-being, and identity of such entities, all of which constitute incentives for cooperation. Despite this generally positive narrative surrounding the collaborative nature of small island developing states, the empirical investigation of key sectors, including fishery, energy and climate, and trade and maritime connectivity, leads to the conclusion that cooperation between such resource-scarce entities is severely limited by several factors. The chapter identifies over-institutionalization, lacking implementation and coordination, as well as political and economic competition between small island developing states as key phenomena in this regard.

Máté Szalai

Conclusion

Frontmatter

Chapter 14. Conclusion: The Role of IR Theories in Transboundary Water Politics

Abstract

The concluding chapter attempts to contribute to the ongoing debates in the literature concerning how theories of International Relations can be used in the field of transboundary water politics on the one hand and how case studies related to transboundary waters can contribute to theorizing in International Relations on the other. From these perspectives, the results of the book can lead us to several conclusions and can add value to academic discussions primarily concerning the emergence of mid-level theories, the better management of interdisciplinary research, connecting material and immaterial factors in the analysis, finding and expanding synergy between various subfields of International Relations and adjacent research areas, and the developing the vocabulary of traditional security studies. The chapter ends with the summary of practical implications of the research project which could serve the basis for policy recommendations.

Máté Szalai, Kinga Szálkai

Titel: Theorizing Transboundary Waters in International Relations
herausgegeben von: Kinga Szálkai
Máté Szalai
Verlag: Springer International Publishing
Electronic ISBN: 978-3-031-43376-4
Print ISBN: 978-3-031-43375-7
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-43376-4