Resources Causing Political Conflict The abundance of oil and the scarcity of water… What could go wrong?!
Not enough: water
Going with the Flow Water, unlike most other natural resources, does not respect political boundaries. The natural flow of water, both on the Earth's surface and underground, routinely crosses these boundaries. When two or more sovereign countries share a watercourse, which could be a river basin, lake, or aquifer (underground water), it is considered to be an international watercourse.
Water scarcity: an average total renewable fresh water Water scarcity: an average total renewable fresh water resource of less than 1,000 cubic meters per person per year. Absolute scarcity: below 500 cubic meters per person per year.
What are the sources of fresh water for the Middle East?
ISSUE: Water Conflict in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Is one of the world’s driest region Contains 6% of world’s population but only about 1.5% of world’s freshwater resources What problems do you think the Middle East is having due to the lack of water?
MENA Population Population growth in this region is growing exponentially but water supply is decreasing…
Water and the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict: Competition or Cooperation? Israel and Palestine, struggle over water involves, not only economic and distribution issues, but central political, legal, and territorial claims as well. For example: Palestinians have to buy their water from Israel.
Six Day War Brief war that took place June 5–10, 1967, and was the third of the Arab-Israeli wars. Israel’s decisive victory included the capture of the Sinai Peninsula, Gaza Strip, West Bank, Old City of Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights “…although people usually regard June 5, 1967 as the start of the Six Day War, in reality, it started two and a half years earlier on the day Israel decided to act against the diversion of the Jordan.”
Six Day War The Headwater Diversion Plan was an Arab League plan to divert two of the three sources of the Jordan River, and prevent them from flowing into the Sea of Galilee, in order to ruin Israel's plans to use the water. The plan was approved by the Arab League in 1964 but Israel prevented the project's development by conducting airstrikes in the Syrian territory.
Water sources are used for religious purposes as well In the Jordan valley the heat is often punishing for the Palestinians who are the main agricultural workforce on some Israeli-owned farms
Many Palestinian farmers and residents continue to use wells for work and drinking water. Some villages remain unconnected with the main water supply. Palestinian farming methods are more traditional, often using unirrigated land to graze sheep and goats.
Building Dams How might building dams in your portion of the river affect other countries? EX: Turkey spent $32 billion to construct 22 dams along the Tigris-Euphrates river basin The result? The dam created new farmland and a supply of electricity for Turkey BUT cut the flow of the Euphrates into Syria and Iraq. The other countries downstream suffered.
Water Conflict in Syria? Turkey, Iraq, and Syria share water resources of the Euphrates River How do these countries decide who gets what? “In Syria, a devastating drought beginning in 2006 forced many farmers to abandon their fields and migrate to urban centers. There’s some evidence that the migration fueled the civil war there, in which 80,000 people have died. “You had a lot of angry, unemployed men helping to trigger a revolution,” says Aaron Wolf, a water management expert at Oregon State University, who frequently visits the Middle East. Tensions between nations are also high. Since 1975, Turkey’s dam and hydropower construction has cut water flow to Iraq by 80 percent and to Syria by 40 percent. Syria and Iraq have accused Turkey of hoarding water.”
Human Environment Interaction!!! Ancient Quanat water tunnels in Iran Ataturk Dam in Turkey on the Euphrates River Pivot Irrigation in Libya and Jordan: method of water irrigation in which equipment rotates around a pivot and crops are watered with sprinklers
Ray of Hope? Desalination What is desalination? Some desalination plants near Persian Gulf…but they are VERY expensive Paid by the tremendous oil wealth Have not been built along the Mediterranean Sea
Too much: oil
Oil Oil fields in Middle East hold ½ of all petroleum reserves in the world! Oil is transported mostly by carefully monitored above and underground pipelines
What is unique about this waterway? Strait of Hormuz What is unique about this waterway? I’ll give you a hint… There is an abundance of a certain natural resource located right here Pathway to LOTS of OIL!!!
2 minute video on the importance of this waterway. http://www.reuters.com/video/2012/01/05/whats-at-stake-strait-of-hormuz-by-the-n?videoId=228011127
Supranationalism: OPEC The group is the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, also known as OPEC. The purpose of OPEC is to help members control worldwide oil prices and production.
The Gulf War The Persian Gulf War (August 2, 1990 – February 28, 1991), a war waged by 34 nations led by the United States against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait. In 1990 Iraq accused Kuwait of stealing Iraqi petroleum through drilling Saddam Hussein announced in a few days after invasion that it was the 19th province of Iraq
The Gulf War The Iraqi military set fire to oil wells as part of a scorched earth policy before retreating from Kuwait. The fires were started in January 1991 and lasted until November 1991 …11 months!!!!
Something to think about? Saudi Arabia is the world’s largest producer of oil. Oil revenues make up 90-95% of the export earnings and around 35-40% of the country’s GDP. In the first 8 months of 2000, Saudi Arabia provided the U.S. with 1.5 million barrels of oil per day. Do you think the United States should protect Saudi Arabia in a time of war to protect U.S. oil interests?
Middle East