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Drought, Migration and the Fall of Civilization: A Cautionary Tale
October 16th, 2023
Via The Hill, commentary on similarities between today’s world and the rise/fall of Mesopotamia: The writer George Santayana once famously said: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” This adage seems especially poignant at this moment with the twin conflicts that are playing out in the Western and Eastern hemispheres. For, this […]
Read more »Analysis of Climate Security Risks In Iran and Türkiye
September 14th, 2023
Courtesy of The Council on Strategic Risks, a look at the climate security risks in Iran and Türkiye: As extreme weather this summer shows, no place is immune from climate change’s impact on the interconnected natural and human systems that underpin stability and security. Iran and Türkiye are two geopolitically critical countries that, despite not being […]
Read more »‘Bad Days Await’: Istanbul Dams Run Low In Summer Heat
September 1st, 2023
Via Terra Daily, a report on Istanbul’s growing water scarcity crisis: The bank of screens in Ismail Aydin’s Istanbul water management system control room flashes a worrying number: 29.7 percent.That is the capacity level to which Istanbul’s water reservoirs have dropped after another steamy summer put Turkey’s largest city on the edge of a potential […]
Read more »Water and Climate Change Will Shape Iraq-Turkey Relations
July 26th, 2023
Via Foreign Policy Research Institute, a look at how water and climate change will shape Iraq-Turkey relations: BOTTOM LINE Water and climate change will be at the center of Iraq-Turkish relations for years to come. There is a mismatch of priorities on the Turkish and Iraqi sides, with security constituting the most urgent element for […]
Read more »Climate Change Threatens Turkey’s Role as a Food Supplier to Europe and the Middle East
July 22nd, 2023
Via The Turkey Analyst, a look at the impact that climate change-driven water scarxity is having upon Turkey’s role as a food supplier to Europe and Middle East: The persistence of high food inflation in Turkey belies a deeper problem. Turkish agrifood production cannot adequately cope with increasing water scarcity due to climate change. Challenging […]
Read more »Water Politics in the Tigris-Euphrates Basin
June 3rd, 2023
Via the Arab Center in Washington DC, a look at water politics in the Tigris-Euphrates Basin: While energy security and the control of oil have long been determining factors for geopolitical conflict in the Middle East, the region’s geopolitics have also, in important ways, been shaped by issues around access to water. Whether along the […]
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