Shared Rivers and Interstate Conflict – Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO)

The research examines the link between shared river systems and interstate conflict, finding that while joint rivers increase the probability of militarized disputes beyond simple contiguity, this effect is smaller than that of contiguity itself. The study notes that water scarcity and upstream-downstream relationships are associated with conflict, though these results are not strongly supported by systematic data on the specific issues involved.

• The presence of a shared river increases the likelihood of militarized disputes and armed conflict between countries, an effect that exists independently of mere geographic contiguity, although the impact of contiguity remains the stronger factor.
• Water scarcity and the specific dynamic of upstream-downstream relationships are linked to conflict, though the study lacks systematic data on the underlying issues of these shared-river conflicts and describes these results as not very strong.

APA

Peace Research Institute Oslo (2000). Shared Rivers and Interstate Conflict – Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO). https://www.prio.org/publications/670

Chicago

Peace Research Institute Oslo. Shared Rivers and Interstate Conflict – Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO). 2000. https://www.prio.org/publications/670.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Peace Research Institute Oslo |title=Shared Rivers and Interstate Conflict – Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) |date=1 January 2000 |url=https://www.prio.org/publications/670 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{peaceresearchinstituteoslo2000shared, author = {{Peace Research Institute Oslo}}, title = {{Shared Rivers and Interstate Conflict – Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO)}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, year = {2000}, month = jan, url = {https://www.prio.org/publications/670}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }