A Chance for A Pax Aquarum in the Middle-East? Transcending the Six Obstacles for Transboundary Water Cooperation

Click to increase image sizeClick to decrease image size

Notes

¹ Ashok Swain noted that Nasser hoped for the High Aswan Dam to ‘provide him with an opportunity to strengthen his support base at home and bring legitimacy to his regime’ (Swain 2004, 97). Cobban states that Hafez Al-Assad tried to develop and modernise socioeconomic infrastructure in Syria, including the construction of the Euphrates Dam (1974) with its Lake Assad, ‘primarily in order to strengthen the legitimacy of his regime’ (Cobban 1990, 56).

²http://www.mekorot.co.il/Eng/Mekorot/Pages/CompanyProfile.aspx, accessed 22 April 2014.

³ European adherence to the Aarhus and Espoo Conventions provides people, as well as countries, with better access to information regarding water projects and other environmental issues. The European Court of Human Rights is another venue through which individuals may pursue their rights in the event of governmental breaches of conventions, such as arbitrary resettlement during dam construction. Additionally, great significance is attached in Europe to public scrutiny in environmental ımpact assessment procedures. Last but not least, the Water Framework Directive of the European Union also puts great emphasis on public participation, which may contribute to the increased transparency of water management decisions.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Vakur Sümer

VAKUR SÜMER is an affiliated fellow at Global Research Institute, University of North Carolina (UNC), and assistant professor at Selcuk University, Konya, Turkey. Sumer received his PhD from Middle East Technical University, Ankara. His areas of focus include water issues, transboundary rivers, environmental politics, and Turkey's accession to the European Union. Sumer is a member of ISA (International Studies Association), the Environmental Studies Section of ISA, and the International Water Association.