Tracking Conflict and Cooperation over the World’s International Freshwater Resources

Mar 20, 2023 | Alexandra Caplan, Melissa McCracken, Susanne Schmeier, Zoe Rosenblum, and Aaron Wolf
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Waters that cross international political borders can drive the countries that share them to conflict—or encourage cooperation between them. Indeed, since the 1940s, overall trends point to a tendency for countries to cooperate over shared water resources, which stands in stark contrast to media portrayals of “water wars.”

Yet instances of conflict over water have increased slightly since 2000. Why? Most of them are fueled by water quantity disputes or the unilateral development of dams or other infrastructure. Institutions often play a key role in facilitating cooperation (and reducing conflict) over shared waters, but their growth and adoption have slowed over the last two to three decades.