No risk of international water wars: The case of the Jordan River Basin

Abstract

AbstractDespite warnings from scholars and the media about water wars, the case of the Jordan River basin indicates that no wars over transboundary waters will occur in that location or elsewhere. Water will, nonetheless, increase as a source of concern for human welfare because of rising global temperature and climate change. However, several means exist that are more cost‐effective for mitigating water stress than launching war over shared water resources. Alternative means to obtain water (i.e., desalination of saltwater, reuse of treated waste water, and import of virtual water, not least in combination with efficient water governance and water management) cost less than waging wars to secure water sources. Because of constant scientific and technological achievements, the cost of these alternative methods will decrease, and the hindrances to possible water wars will increase. Nevertheless, water will not be a promoter of genuine cooperation as long as water politics is based on geopolitical reasoning. The case of the Jordan River basin indicates that hydro‐cooperation is sometimes used as a tool of dominance, implying that not all types of cooperation are positive.