Publication

This paper discusses the political effects that water scarcity can have on regional stability and foreign relations. The author describes how it has been possible to politically de-emphasize the problem of water scarcity in the Middle East, and how countries with adaptive political economies have been able to make up for water deficits by acquiring water through trade. The paper argues that being short of water is not itself a source of political or economic insecurity, but that not having the means of acquiring it through trade or cooperation can become a source of conflict.