To Fight Global Water Stress, U.S. Foreign Policy Will Need New Strategic Tools

Jul 25, 2017 | Anuj Krishnamurthy
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Capable of upending rural livelihoods, compromising institutions of governance, and inducing new patterns of migration and crime, global water stress has emerged as one of the principal threats to U.S. national security, said David Reed, senior policy advisor at the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and editor of WWF’s new book, Water, Security and U.S. Foreign Policy, on June 27 at the Wilson Center. Four defense and development leaders – retired U.S. Marine Corps General James L. Jones; Paula Dobrianksy, vice chairwoman of the National Executive Committee of the U.S. Water Partnership; retired U.S. Navy Admiral Lee Gunn, vice chairman of the CNA Military Advisory Board; and Kristalina Georgieva, chief executive of the World Bank – joined Reed for a panel discussion of water’s central role in global stability and prosperity.

“National and international security in the 21^st century is a much broader portfolio for our government to think about than it was in the 20^th century,” said Jones, who served as national security advisor in the Obama administration from 2009 to 2011. As part of this new portfolio, Gunn urged the U.S. government to “consider the challenge of global water stress as a national security concern.” Already, water scarcity has played a role in exacerbating subnational strife, driving insurgencies, and spurring instability around the world. In the face of these perils, the panelists discussed a reinvigorated approach to water insecurity – one based on committed U.S. leadership, a whole-of-government response, and private sector innovation – to address the needs of a growing human population.