The Role of Non-State Actors in Shaping Water Conflict and Cooperation in the Middle East

Alexandra Turgul, Oregon State University (United States)

Abstract: Water conflicts often exist in situations where extreme power asymmetries characterize the relationships between stakeholders. While transboundary water conflict is well-studied from a state-centric perspective, the role of non-state actors – such as civil society organizations, local communities, and armed groups – in shaping water conflict-cooperation dynamics is less explored. This presentation is a part of the panel “Law, Power, and Decolonization in Transboundary Water Conflict and Cooperation,” and it will examine how non-state influence these dynamics. Using the Jordan and Euphrates-Tigris river basins as case studies, the presentation will examine how various stakeholders mobilize different forms of power to resist and challenge unequitable water management practices imposed by the state. In doing so, it highlights the agency of non-state actors and their ability to shape hydropolitical relations in the absence of participation in formal decision-making processes. 2 / 2 108%