BLOG
Did Vietnam Just Doom The Mekong: Dam Diplomacy and the Geopolitics of the Mekong
November 30th, 2019
Via The Diplomat, an article on a recent policy reversal on Mekong dams that has put Hanoi’s credibility – and the river’s fate – on the line: The recent decision by a Vietnamese oil company, Petrovietnam, to invest in a huge dam close to the much-loved World Heritage Site in Luang Prabang, Laos, has caused confusion […]
Read more »Water Shortage and Unrest In Iraq
November 25th, 2019
Via Global Risk Insights, a report on the link between water shortages, politics, and unrest in Iraq: Around 70% of Iraq’s water comes from sources outside of its territory, predominantly originating in Turkey and Iran. Since 1975, the flow of water from the Euphrates and Tigris rivers from Turkey into Iraq has declined by 80%. Over 80% of Iraq’s current water […]
Read more »River of The Dammed
November 16th, 2019
Via Foreign Policy, an article on how Ethiopia’s continued efforts to dam the Nile could end in war with Egypt and how such an outcome may be stopped: In October, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in starting peace negotiations with Eritrea. But his country is still in the […]
Read more »The American West’s Water Shortage Is Fueled by Human Error
November 12th, 2019
Via Outside Magazine, commentary on how the inability of western states to track water usage is exacerbating the region’s drought crisis: Back in 2013, Zach Frankel, executive director of the Utah Rivers Council, an environmental advocacy group, asked Utah’s Division of Water Resources (DWR) for the data used to create a landmark study of the state’s […]
Read more »Nile Basin Water Wars: One Step Closer to an Agreement?
November 11th, 2019
Via Geopolitical Monitor, a report on negotiations between Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan on Nile waters: Earlier last month during the Sochi Summit, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi agreed to resume talks surrounding the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD); a project that has increased tensions and hostilities between Egypt, Ethiopia, and […]
Read more »Egypt’s Water Crisis
November 10th, 2019
Via the World Economic Forum, a report on the impending Nile water crisis, particularly as it impacts Egypt: Ahmed Abd-Rabo used to get all the water he needed to feed his crops 50 km (30 miles) from Egypt’s River Nile. Then supplies in the canal linking his seven acres to the river dwindled as other […]
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