Our coverage of water geopolitics is organized into five regional practices – Asia, Europe, South America, Middle East & Africa, and North America – as well as a Transnational Issues Group. Among our regional focus, some geographic areas that are more likely to feel stress earlier than others include:
- Asia (issues over the Tibetan watershed and glacier resources between China, India, Bangladesh, and numerous other Asian nations);
- Middle East (issues over the Euphrates & Tigris between Turkey and Iraq, as well as disputes over the Jordan River, between Israel, Jordan, and three other nations);
- Northern Africa (issues over the Nile between Ethiopia and Egypt);
- Southern Africa (issues over the Okavango between Angola, Namibia, and South Africa); and
- Europe (issues over the Danube, a resource shared by fifteen countries)
In addition to our regional analyses, we are pursuing specific research into several areas, including the:
- geopolitics of water in China & Central Asia, including the possibility of future linkage between these two regions’ attempts to resolve shortages/disputes
- global virtual water trade, geopolitics, and acquisition of worldwide water rights
- possible development of an Organization of Water Exporting Countries (OWEC) comprising some/all of the water super-powers?, namely Brazil, Canada, Colombia, China (via Tibet), Indonesia, Russia, and Mongolia
- evaluation of large-scale water transport/pipeline initiatives and feasibility of Strategic Water Reserves
- examination of the role that technology and public participation in water conservation and resource allocation may be elevated to a higher level by putting worldwide data about water availability, quality, and stewardship together on emerging mapping, networking, and predictive market platforms.