Hydropolitics in Transboundary Water Management. Conflict, Cooperation and Governance along the Nile River (original) (raw)

The historical inter-state dispute over the allocation and utilisation of the Nile River waters has endured ever-evolving patterns of intra-basin re-lationships, multi-level dynamics of water policy making and fluctuating intensity in conflictive and cooperative interactions. The transboundary na-ture of the Nile waters reveals the interconnectedness of the Nile states, which rely upon the Nile ecosystem not only for the satisfaction of econom-ic, social and cultural needs, but also for the maintenance of peace and security in the region. The absence of an effective integrated mechanism for the man-agement of the Nile flows has resulted in the persistence of asymmetries among the riparian countries over the control and use of an essential re-source: thus, whether the conflict potential of the Nile waters could turn into a driver for potential cooperation represents the core issue of the pre-sent research. This study explores the processes that have led to the current status quo of the Nile hydropolitics, in the search for alternative in-terpretations to the mainstream perspectives emerging from the existing Literature. The case-study methodological approach aims at unveiling new empirical insights over the dynamics of transboundary water management in the Nile Basin, through the application of an original theoretical frame-work, which is built upon a multi-disciplinary focus that combines theories of International Relations and Environmental Studies. In particular, the crit-ical assessment over inter-state power asymmetries uncovers the relational process of compliance and contestation to the consolidated hy-dro-hegemonic regime in the Nile Basin, providing an original analysis over material and discursive structures that constitute both hegemonic and counter-hegemonic mechanisms of water control. In so doing, the investi-gative process formulates assumptions over the complex dynamics that shape the current Nile hydropolitics, while at the same time tracing histori-cal processes of intra-basin negotiations over the management of transboundary water resources, as well as exploring possible future sce-narios in terms of both geophysical projections and policy recommendations towards an effective integrated management of the Nile flows. Finally, providing new elements for the analysis of conflict, coop-eration and governance in international river basins, this study also contributes to the theoretical development of the emerging field of critical hydropolitics.

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