The Role of International Law in the Prevention and Resolution of Possible Conflicts over Water in Central Asia: A Comparative Study with Special Reference to the European Union (EU)

Abstract

AbstractAfter the collapse of the Soviet Union, water management has caused severe disputes in Central Asia. Likewise, due to competing needs and priorities between the upstream and downstream states, water continues to divide these two groups of countries. As a result, water resources have emerged not as tools for facilitating regional cooperation but as a source of conflict. Though, at present, these conflicts do not seem to threaten war, they pose a significant threat to regional stability, security and sustainable development. In view of that, if they are not addressed, they could lead to armed conflicts. This chapter explores the role of international law in the prevention and resolution of such conflicts, with the main question here being: what is the role of international water law in the prevention and resolution of possible conflicts over water in Central Asia? To that end, the chapter takes a sneak peek into the tools in international water law to respond to water disputes. In examining the management of transboundary watercourses in Central Asia and ratification by Central Asian countries of the agreements governing the management of such watercourses, the chapter then takes a comparative approach and makes special reference to the European Union, specifically with respect to the Rhine river basin. The author posits that cooperation over shared watercourses, supplemented by treaties, can be a good tool of managing conflicts over such watercourses and that water scarcity may not be the sole cause of conflicts.KeywordsUpstreamDownstreamTransboundaryRatificationWatercoursesTreatiesWater LawCooperationConflictWater scarcityPreventionResolutionStabilitySecuritySustainable Development