NewSecurityBeat

New Video “Water Wars or Water Woes?” Unveils Surprising Truths About Water, Conflict

September 18, 2008 By Wilson Center Staff

In the new video “Water Wars or Water Woes? Water Management as Conflict Management,” Environmental Change and Security Program (ECSP) Director Geoff Dabelko explains that although newspapers and politicians constantly warn of impending “water wars,” water rarely leads to interstate violence. By focusing on “water wars” – which evidence shows are extremely rare – we “are missing a lot of what is important around conflict management around water,” argues Dabelko.

According to Dabelko, cooperative water management can also help resolve conflicts caused by unrelated problems, such as those between India and Pakistan or Israel and Palestine. “You’ve got to go through it to get out of the conflict and support a sustainable peace,” he says.

“Water Wars or Water Woes?” is the newest addition to ECSP’s YouTube channel, which was launched earlier this summer with “Population, Health, and Environment: Exploring the Connections,” which offers a lively, brief, and accessible explanation of population, health, and environment (PHE) connections, with examples and photos from successful programs in the Philippines.

Topics: climate change, conflict, cooperation, environment, security, video, water