Water conflicts

The document is an annotated bibliography of 165 entries covering water conflicts from 1996 to 2001. It categorizes research into general theoretical and empirical studies, as well as regional studies focusing on the Middle East, Asia, the Americas, Europe, and Africa. The author analyzes trends in the literature, noting a growth in general conceptual works and a debate between 'alarmists' who predict 'water wars' and 'skeptics' who emphasize cooperation and risk management.

• There was a measurable increase in academic interest in water conflicts between 1996 and 2001, with publications rising from 15 entries in 1996 to 45 in 2000, though the 2001 figure of 25 is incomplete.
• The bibliography is heavily skewed toward the Middle East, which accounts for approximately 40.5% of the total entries, with the Jordan basin being the most studied sub-group at nearly 22%.
• Research in the period 2000-2001 showed a significant trend toward general theoretical and empirical works, suggesting a shift toward analyzing water problems on a global scale rather than just regionally.
• Academic literature on water conflicts is divided into five general orientations: 'War alert' (alarmists), 'Sober skepticism', 'Risk awareness', 'Conflict resolution', and 'Management'.
• The 'War alert' group, which argues that water wars are becoming more probable, saw a sharp increase in 2001, primarily driven by the work of a single author, Michael T. Klare.
• Many researchers argue that water scarcity is more likely to cause internal state instability and domestic conflict than to trigger interstate wars.
• The author notes a lack of academic attention toward water conflicts in Africa and Latin America, specifically mentioning that major river systems like the Niger and Zambezi are ignored in the literature.
• A decline in academic focus on the Jordan basin in 2001 is attributed to the failure of the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians, which shifted research priorities toward immediate political violence.

APA

Baeva, O. (2002). Water conflicts. Peace Research Institute Oslo. http://files.prio.org/ReplicationData/WaterConflict/water_bibliography.pdf

Chicago

Baeva, Olga. Water conflicts. Peace Research Institute Oslo, 2002. http://files.prio.org/ReplicationData/WaterConflict/water_bibliography.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Baeva |first1=Olga |title=Water conflicts |publisher=Peace Research Institute Oslo |date=July 2002 |url=http://files.prio.org/ReplicationData/WaterConflict/water_bibliography.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{baeva2002water, author = {Baeva, Olga}, title = {{Water conflicts}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, year = {2002}, month = jul, url = {http://files.prio.org/ReplicationData/WaterConflict/water_bibliography.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }