Water Diplomacy Can Learn from Realist Ideas

Jul 19, 2022 | Sumit Vij, Jeroen Warner, Mark Zeitoun, Christian Bréthaut
View Original

As Russia’s war in Ukraine continues and nations are returning to behaviors best explained by realism, we are wrestling with these trends’ longer-term implications on water diplomacy. States are becoming inward-looking and prioritizing national sovereignty. Debates about water and climate are resurfacing, and we should better understand how hard power and inward-looking approaches can impact water diplomacy and cooperation.

This article explores questions critical to determining how next steps in the GERD dispute and ones like it can be grounded in international relations theories and practice:

First, what can diplomatic failures between Russia and key NATO members tell us about leadership styles and the role of foreign policy in transboundary waters?

Second, with global geopolitics returning to realism, how should we change water diplomacy initiatives?