Water: Asia's New Battleground

by Brahma Chellaney

'... Chellaney shows how today's economic growth could lead to tomorrow's "water wars". This is a vital book for anybody interested in diplomacy and conflict in the twenty-first century'  - Stanley A. Weiss, founding chairman, Business Executives for National Security, Washington DC The battles of yesterday were fought over land; those of today are over energy. But the battles of tomorrow may be over water. Nowhere is that danger greater than in water-distressed Asia. Water stress is set to become Asia's defining crisis of the twenty-first century, creating obstacles to continued rapid economic growth, stoking interstate tensions over shared resources, exacerbating long-time territorial disputes, and imposing further hardships on the poor. Asia is home to many of the world's great rivers and lakes, but its huge population and exploding economic and agricultural demand for water make it the most water-scarce continent on a per capita basis. Many of Asia's water sources cross national boundaries, and as less and less water is available, international tensions will rise. The potential for conflict is further underscored by China's unrivalled global status as the source of transboundary river flows to the largest number of countries, as it declines to enter into water-sharing or cooperative treaties with these states, even as it taps the resources of international rivers. Asia's New Battleground is a pioneering study of Asia's murky water politics and the relationships between freshwater, peace, and security. Brahma Chellaney paints a larger picture of water across Asia, highlights the security implications of resource-linked territorial disputes, and proposes real strategies to avoid conflict and more equitably share Asia's water resources.

398 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2012

Reviews

[Harsh Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brahma Chellaney's new book offers an indepth analysis of the water geopolitics in Greater Asia, extending from Japan all the way to Turkey and including the entire Middle East. This is the first book that comprehensively examines the water geopolitics on the world's driest continent, Asia. The water crisis holds important implications for Asia's ability to continue to be the locomotive of the world economy. Thus, the book is an important contribution to the literature and is likely to be of particular interest to investors, especially because it details the economic and political implications of the spreading water shortages.

The strength of the book is that its various chapters are thematically focused, rather than discussing countries or subregions. Although such a framework is more challenging, it allows the author to keep the focus on the larger issues in Asia and to comparatively assess opportunities of cooperation and risks of conflict. What emerges is that water disputes are concentrated in four separate circles-China and its neighbors; India and its neighbors; Israel and its neighbors; and Turkey and its neighbors-plus in Central Asia and the Arabian Peninsula. Intrastate disputes are more widespread, with the book providing a good picture of such disputes within South Korea and China in particular.

The book is sympathetic to the plight of countries, like Bangladesh, Vietnam and Iraq, which are located farthest downstream on rivers flowing through multiple countries. The book masterfully blends water issues and geopolitics to highlight water resource scarcity as a burning issue. The analysis is objective and perceptive. The book's only drawback is its length: it is virtually the size of two average-size books and, therefore, has been printed in small typescript.

[Brian Chian · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truly groundbreaking book -- the first of its kind to look at Asian water issues comprehensively.

[Anandraj R · Rating 5 out of 5]

A comprehensive book on Asia's water issues/disputes.