Studies in the conflict-climate field usually aim to examine how environmental scarcities canbe linked to conflict, but positive outcomes are generally overlooked. Lately, attention isbeing drawn to the relationship between water scarcity and migration flows. Some researchersargue that efficiency in managing resources is likely to be an imminent issue in migrantreceiving areas and competition over resources are common, especially when they are scarce.As is evident, there is a rule rather than exception that climate related events happensimultaneously, yet few studies do focus on the coupled effect of such climatic events. Torealistically estimate responses to climate change, this study will aim to examine weatherwater scarcity, by itself and in combination with migration-inflow, can encouragecooperation. By using disaggregated data, a sub-analysis was conducted throughout countriesbordering the Mediterranean Sea, covering the years 1997-2009. The results of this studyshow that water scarcity increases the likelihood of non-state cooperation. Overall, thissuggests that water management plays an important role in human interaction and should beconsidered in peacebuilding processes.

The Jordan Valley is a region where water resources are both scarce and disputed. Over a long period of time, the shared water resources in the region have constituted a source of conflict. Meanwhile, these shared resources and the challenges connected to them can also function as a basis for mutual understanding and trust-building, potentially fostering cooperation and sustainable peacebuilding. This thesis explores the potential of different kinds of cooperation efforts on shared water resources promoting such a development, by investigating the relationship between bottom-up local transboundary water cooperation efforts and top-down transboundary cooperation on a national level. The research question, “What direct and likely indirect impacts has the Good Water Neighbours programme had on the adherence to the Article 6 of the Israel-Jordan peace treaty from 1994?”, is examined through a single case study, in which a Multi-Track Water Diplomacy Framework (MTWD) analysis is conducted in order to map and understand key factors affecting water cooperation in the specific transboundary water context in which the Good Water Neighbours programme operates. The indirect impacts are examined through adding an intermediate variable, namely national transboundary water cooperation efforts between Israel and Jordan, operationalised through the regional NGO master plan for sustainable development in the Jordan Valley (released in 2015).  The study finds support for the hypothesis that cooperation on the local-international level will lead to trust-building and increased public pressure, creating incentives for national-international cooperation, and thereby increased adherence to the peace treaty. It can however neither reject nor confirm the hypothesis that local-international cooperation will lead to better designed projects, increased acceptance and accountability, in turn increasing the adherence to the peace treaty. The study further concludes that national-international cooperation depends on a sensitive interplay between economy and politics, and that successful transboundary water cooperation requires both bottom-up and top-down engagement.

Bangladesh and India share 54 transboundary rivers. Despite that, the transboundary water management between these two countries is heavily concentrated on the Ganges river basin, in which, mode of cooperation is still based on physical sharing of water. The study is developed on the argument that Bangladesh and India need a shift of focus in their current mode of transboundary water management from physical sharing of water to sharing of benefits derived from the use (and non-use) water in order to foster transboundary water cooperation in the Ganges river basin. Based on a single-case study, the research work aims to explore the scope of benefit-sharing in the transboundary water cooperation in the Ganges river basin and how benefit-sharing can be facilitated between these two countries. The findings show that the water negotiation in the Ganges basin would become much more complicated in the future, primarily due to the growing gap between the demand and the availability of water. The adverse impact of climate change will further deteriorate the situation. Besides, the changing nature of India’s domestic politics and the growing internal conflict between its provincial states will weaken the Indian central government’s authority to manage transboundary water resources jointly. Therefore, in the future, Bangladesh and India would find it difficult to elicit a positive-sum outcome from any water negotiation in Ganges river if they still focus on the volumetric allocation of water. The study suggests that inland navigation and water transit, multipurpose storage dam projects and joint management of the Sundarbans can be the potential areas for benefit-sharing in the Ganges basin. The study stresses the importance of shifting the policy outlook and developing institutional arrangements between Bangladesh and India to introduce and facilitate benefit-sharing in the Ganges river basin that will help to share benefits equitably, hence foster cooperation.

Transboundary water treaties are established to prevent disputes over shared rivers between states. Nevertheless, empirical studies indicate that international organizations manage to bring cooperation between states in some cases and fail in others. This research explains why the efforts of international organizations to promote water cooperation sometimes succeed or sometimes fail and which factors contribute to their varying levels of success in different cases? International organizations are more likely to achieve cooperation between states with strong characters (less change in power dynamics) and share mutual benefits than weaker states (frequent shift in power dynamics) and have less shared benefits. I will examine how shared benefits and the character of the state can help international originations achieve cooperation or conflict that can be influenced by power asymmetry or by creating an imbalance/balance of power (causal mechanisms). Thus, weak riparian countries are less likely to achieve cooperation, increasing the probability of conflict. The hypothesis is tested on the Nile River Basin and the Indus River Basin, using a comparative analysis. The findings indicate an important relationship between the state’s characters, shared benefits, and the role of international organizations in bringing cooperation and preventing conflict between riparian states.

Thesis (MA (Political Science. International Studies))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / Bibliography / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Water is life. Its availability and quality directly relates to what is possible in agriculture as well as human health. In Southern Africa, water issues have become an important political agenda as a result of the droughts that the region has been experiencing. The Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), in its water protocol advises its member states to set up river basin organisations to manage transboundary rivers in Southern Africa. The aim is to encourage the sustainable use of international rivers. Sharing international rivers has proven to be a very difficult issue as shown by the voting patterns on the UN Convention on the Law of Non Navigational Uses of Transboundary Rivers and the subsequent failure of entry into force of this convention. While strategic interests on the global levels manifest themselves in voting patterns in forums like the UN Assembly, the situation is trickier at the regional level. These strategic interests are ever present as a result of states’ need for recognition of their sovereignty and the inability of states to accept any hierarchical enforcement. This study investigates the impact of these interests at the basin level on the structure of cooperation. With the use of a case study, namely the Okavango River Basin Commission, and guided by regime theory, the study looks at the process of regime formation and maintenance in the basin. It concludes that states use cooperative arrangements (international water cooperation regimes) as tools for the strategic protection of their sovereignty. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Water is lewe. Die beskikbaarheid en kwaliteit het direk te betrekking op wat moontlik toeneemed is in landbou so wel as menslike gesondheid. Water as ʼn noodsaaklike bron in suider-Afrika word meer en meer beskou as ʼn belangrike kwessie op die politieke agenda as gevolg van droogte wat in die streek ondervind word. ʼn Hoë vlak van belangrikheid word aan die bestuur van water binne die streek geheg. Die SAOG (Die Suider – Afrikaanse Ontwikkelings gemeenskap), het in sy water protokol aan sy lid state beveel om rivier kom organisasies te stig om beheer uit te oefen oor riviere in Suider- Afrika wat oor grense heen vloei. Die doel is om lidstate aan te moedig om die volhoubare gebruik van internasionale riviere te bevorder . Die vedeling van internasionale riviere is ‘n komplekse kwessie soos wat VN stempatrone aandui ten opsigte van die Wet op die Verbod teen Navigasie op Oorgrensende Riviere en die daaropvolgende versuim van die inwerkingtreding van die Konvensie aandui. As gevolg van state se behoefte vir erkenning van hul soewereiniteit en hul strategiese belange bly die deel van rivierkomme ‘n moeilike internasionale probleem. Hierdie studie ondersoek die impak van die bogenoemde belange op die kom vlak op die struktuur van samewerking. Met die gebruik van ʼn gevallestudie, naamlik die Okovango Rivier Kom Kommissie, en aan die hand van regime teorie, ondersoek die studie die proses van regime formasie asook die problematiek rondom die instandhouding van die Komissie. Die gevolgtrekking is dat state koöperatiewe reëlings (internasionale water samewerking regimes) as instrumente vir die beskerming van hul strategiese soewereiniteit en eie belange gebruik.