Syria: Without Water, Revolution
May 19th, 2013
Courtesy of The New York Times, an interesting Op-Ed by Thomas Friedman examining the link between drought and revolution in Syria: I just spent a day in this northeast Syrian town. It was terrifying — much more so than I anticipated — but not because we were threatened in any way by the Free Syrian [...]
Read more »How Unsustainable Water Policies Crippled The Assad Regime
September 14th, 2012
Via Green Prophet, an interesting article on the link between unsustainable water policies and the chaos that ensued in Syria: The link between climate change and political instability may still be ambiguous, but recent research is uncovering a connection between sustainable water and food policies and the survival of governments. Shahrzad Mohtadi found that whilst a [...]
Read more »Syria: Climate Change, Drought and Social Unrest
March 3rd, 2012
Via Think Progress, an article examining the link between drought and water scarcity and the current Syrian unrest. As the report notes: NOAA concluded in 2011 that “human-caused climate change [is now] a major factor in more frequent Mediterranean droughts.” Reds and oranges highlight lands around the Mediterranean that experienced significantly drier winters during 1971-2010 than [...]
Read more »Syria And Turkey Reconcile Water Dispute With Friendship Dam
April 14th, 2011
Via Syria Today, a report on the establishment of the Friendship Dam on the Asi-Orontes River, the latest sign of deepening ties between Syria and Turkey. As the article notes: The launch of the Friendship Dam on February 6. On February 6, the prime ministers of Syria and Turkey laid the foundation stone of the [...]
Read more »Blue Peace? Water Scarcity As A Catalyst For Reducing Conflict In The Middle East
January 24th, 2011
Via Terra Daily, an interesting article on a new report suggesting that water scarcity in the Middle East can be the catalyst for reducing, rather than causing, conflict in the volatile region. As the article notes: “…The report entitled “The Blue Peace: Rethinking Middle East Water,” issued by the Carnegie Middle East Center, suggests that [...]
Read more »The (In)Fertile Crescent?
October 14th, 2010
Courtesy of The New York Times, a report on the increasingly dire situation facing Syria and Iraq due to shortages on the Euphrates. As the article notes: “…The farmlands spreading north and east of this Euphrates River town were once the breadbasket of the region, a vast expanse of golden wheat fields and bucolic sheep [...]
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