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  • Reflections on transboundary water conflict and cooperation trends

    Year: 2024

    Collections: Scientific Publications, Review article

    Topics: Water, Climate, Water governance

    Authors: Susanne Schmeier, Alexandra Turgul, Melissa McCracken, Zoe H. Rosenblum, Lynette de Silva, Aaron T. Wolf

    Countries:

    Source: Water International, 49(3-4), 274-288

    This article explores major findings and evolutions in understandings of transboundary water conflict and cooperation over the last three decades, focusing on the trends emerging from the Transboundary Freshwater Diplomacy Database. It is found that since the 1940s, countries tend to cooperate over shared water resources, in contrast to media portrayals of 'water wars'. Water conflicts, which have increased slightly since 2000, are mostly fuelled by water quantity disputes or unilateral infrastructure developments. Institutions play a role in facilitating cooperation and reducing conflict over shared waters, but their growth and adoption have slowed over the last few decades.


    Hydrodiplomacy and adaptive governance at the U.S.-Mexico border: 75 years of tradition and innovation in transboundary water management

    Year: 2020

    Collections: Scientific Publications, Review article

    Topics: Water, Water governance Water diplomacy,

    Authors: et al., Margaret O. Wilder

    Countries:

    Source: Environmental Science and Policy

    The United States and Mexico have engaged in hydrodiplomacy—a practice of transboundary water management that blends water diplomacy and science diplomacy–for more than 75 years, since the adoption of the Treaty of 1944 and the creation of the International Boundary and Water Commission. We examine six major turning points in U.S.-Mexico hydrodiplomacy to ascertain the key factors in the region’s history of resolving transboundary water issues. We find that recognized adaptive governance indicators—such as social learning, sustained relationships, flexible governance mechanisms, and state and non-state networks are essential elements of hydrodiplomacy. Our research suggests that robust and foundational institutions comprise another key indicator of adaptive governance specifically in transboundary contexts. A commitment to both science and diplomacy have been important components underlying the effectiveness of hydrodiplomacy in the border region. Binational networks involving diverse state and non-state actors at multiple scales have increasingly played a pivotal role in shaping desirable hydrodiplomatic outcomes in the region.



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