The contentious and ambiguous entanglement that military forces have with their natural environment inevitably sparkles public interest and academic research. So how does the existing scholarly work inform our assessment of this convergence?

Central and South Asia’s water resources are critical for the region’s water, energy, food and environmental security. Major rivers in the region originate from the Hindu-Kush-Himalaya, Pamir, and Tien Shan Mountain Ranges and flow across multiple countries. Unique geographical characteristics make water management a complex and challenging task that is further complicated by a changing climate and increasing demand affecting diminishing water resources. 

Climate change’s potential to aggravate insecurity, particularly through violent conflict, has created a fear that is both widespread and justified. Civil and defense ministries around the world now include climate impacts in their strategic planning, and climate security assessments have become a common policy tool.

Libya provides a case study for the long-term impacts of water weaponization. After the 2011 overthrow of Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi, the country faced civil conflict related to his succession, including two bloody civil wars in 2011, and then from 2014 to 2020, until a ceasefire took effect in 2020. During this period of long-term instability and isolation, Libya’s water infrastructure deteriorated. Combined with the country’s limited water resources, increased demand, and poor management, water insecurity soared.

Yemen’s civil war, which began in 2014, has resulted in one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. The United Nations estimates that 60% of the 377,000 deaths between 2015 and 2022 were attributed to food insecurity and limited access to health services, and two-thirds of the population (21.6 million people) are in desperate need of humanitarian aid. Though a nominal ceasefire has held since 2022, tensions persist, and civilians continue to face the brunt of the conflict.