Water Wars: The Brahmaputra River and Sino-Indian Relations
Abstract
This CIWAG case study in one in a series examining the role of resource and water conflict in national/international security. A survey of news stories from across the globe show that from 2010-2013 alone there were incidents of violence - large and small - involving access to water in Yemen, Ethiopia, Pakistan, Indian, Kashmir, Brazil, Egypt, Nigeria, Uzbekistan, South Sudan, Mali, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Tanzania, Syria, Libya, and Indonesia. The issue of access to and control of water becomes even more acute in states in which there is an ongoing conflict or in states that are trying to transition from conflict to stability. Although we most often think of water conflicts in terms of access to drinking water, the reality is that most water is needed for industrial and agricultural purposes; when rivers run dry, crops fail and communities face famine and starvation even in some of the world's dampest places. Moreover, in some of these countries internal conflicts exacerbate the issue of who has access to water, and in others, state-to-state friction over dams and irrigation water has spilt over into armed clashes.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2013
- Accession Number
- AD1147704
Entities
People
- Mark Christopher
Organizations
- Naval War College