Contribution of Water Scarcity and Sustainability Failures to Disintegration and Conflict in the Arab Region—The Case of Syria and Yemen

Abstract

Economic growth and demographic change are leading factors that impact the availability of resources such as water and arable land in countries around the globe. The case of Arab countries, where both these resources have been naturally scarce, is illustrative. This chapter outlines the contribution of growing scarcity and historic negligence of sustainability of both resources in encouraging and sustaining political instability in the region. Because of failures of public policies in the area of sustainability, vulnerability to local conflicts and larger-scale instabilities and political disintegration are increasing. This chapter provides a closer look at the case of Syria and Yemen. A growing body of scientific literature now links the current Syrian conflict to climate variability, unsustainable agriculture, and consequent unemployment on the one hand and political instability on the other hand. Evidence from Yemen suggests a link between the rise of the Houthis and groundwater depletion in the North, and a link between the repatriation of Yemenis from the Gulf in the 1990s and past failures in agricultural water management. This chapter advocates the consideration of environmental factors alongside broad regional and local political, social, and economic factors in the study of current and future conflicts.