Description
After decades of cooperative initiatives and competitive practices in the Euphrates-Tigris river basin, the contentious hydropolitics has yet to reach a definitive settlement, which is, in fact, more elusive than ever. This paper argues that the asymmetry in the relative state capacities of Turkey, Syria, and Iraq conditioned by interstate as well as intra-state developments has been the fundamental parameter determining the state and the progress of contentious hydropolitics in the Euphrates-Tigris river basin. This constitutes the power dimension of the issue. What is worse, shifts in environmental factors in Turkey, Syria, and Iraq induced by human interventions directly or indirectly have compounded the state and the progress of contentious hydropolitics in the Euphrates-Tigris river basin. This constitutes the water dimension of the issue. And in both dimensions, the state of affairs has deteriorated over time. This paper traces the progression of the contentious hydropolitics in the Euphrates-Tigris basin in three consecutive periods. The first period covers the Cold War era until 1991, the second period covers the two decades between 1991 and 2011, and the third period covers the post-2011 era. In each period, first, geopolitical developments that impinge upon the state capacities of riparian states are discussed. Second, shifts in environmental factors induced by human interventions, either directly or indirectly, are reviewed. Third, practical policies and political positions of each riparian state are investigated. And fourth, mechanisms, processes, and outcomes of dispute resolution efforts are examined.
