Iraq: Big Loser of Middle East Water Wars
August 31st, 2021
Via The Asia Times, an article on how the region’s traditional ‘Fertile Crescent’ is running dry due to upstream damming by water hegemons Turkey and Iran: With two of the world’s most famous rivers flowing through it, Iraq was known for centuries as the Middle East’s “Fertile Crescent,” its rich civilizations watered by the Tigris […]
Read more »Water Scarcity In Middle East: A Strategic and Political Lever For National Security
May 8th, 2021
Via Eurasia Review, a report on the Middle East where water supply systems are increasingly becoming both political lever and objectives of strategic action as states perceive access to water as an issue of national security: The Middle East region is currently facing simultaneous security, climate change and water scarcity crises. Water scarcity is a pressing […]
Read more »Turkish Drought: Istanbul Risks Running Out of Water In 45 Days
January 13th, 2021
Via The Guardian, a report on how water is at critically low levels across Turkey after lack of rainfall, leading to the most severe drought in a decade: Major cities across Turkey face running out of water in the next few months , with warnings Istanbul has less than 45 days of water left. Poor rainfall has […]
Read more »Proposed Dams Strain Water Politics in Iraq
October 26th, 2020
Via Deutsche Welle, a report on how – while scientists warn of their negative impact on biodiversity – the autonomous Kurdistan Region is building multiple dams to respond to water insecurity: Over the last 30 years, Jassim Al-Asadi has witnessed the Mesopotamian Marshes of southern Iraq where he was born undergo dramatic changes. Once the […]
Read more »Iraq: Kurdish Dam Building Spree Threatens Fragile Water Supplies
October 14th, 2020
Via Future Directions International, a report on how planned Kurdish dams may impact Iraq’s fragile water supply: A proposal to build several dams in Iraqi Kurdistan has sparked concerns that new dams in the region could lead to further water shortages in the rest of Iraq, as well as concerns that the proposed dams could cause significant damage […]
Read more »‘Weaponizing Water’ in Northeast Syria
September 5th, 2020
Via Crux, commentary on warningss that Turkey is ‘weaponizing water’ in northeast Syria: Parts of Syria’s north where Kurds, Christians and Yazidis have practiced religious freedom in recent years are reportedly again under attack by mainly Turkish military and their allied Syrian Islamist fighters. The Syrian Democratic Council, which oversees the autonomous northeast of Syria, […]
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