Transboundary water diplomacy among small states: a giant dilemma for Central American regionalism

ABSTRACT

Water diplomacy aims to shift water disputes from zero-sum games into positive-sum cooperation models though actor-driven approaches. Small states are often viewed as facilitators of diplomacy through a commitment to regionalism and consensus, which highlights their influence in international affairs. Responding to the research question, ‘How do “non-decisions” lead to status quo in water diplomacy?’ this article discusses how regional water diplomacy based on influence is weakened by the domestic shortcomings of small states’ political systems, where authorities use non-decision-making to maintain a status quo that guarantees their legitimized power.

KEYWORDS:

• Water diplomacy
• small states
• water security
• regional integration
• Central America

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología [296842].