...UNIVERSITY International Relations Water Conflicts in the Middle East Submitted to: Dr. Aruna Kumar Malik Faculty (International Relations) Submitted by: Himanshu Sharma 10A048 (Sem – V) 1|Page GUJARAT NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY Acknowledgement I express my gratitude and sincere thanks to Mr. Aruna Kumar Malik, for his support throughout the making of this project. He has provided valuable guidance as and when required without which this project would not have been in this shape. I would like to thank Gujarat National Law University for giving us this opportunity to work on this project, especially the staff at the library for providing excellent research facilities. Lastly, I thank my friends for their support, for their help in the research and for critically going through the project and correcting the mistakes. 2|Page GUJARAT NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1: Introduction…….………………………………………………………..4 Chapter 2: Causes of water Conflicts…………..………………………………….5 Chapter 3: Some Major Conflicts in the Middle East……………………………..6 Chapter 4: Remedial Measures…………..……………………………………….11 Chapter 5: Conclusion………………………………………………………..….....13 References..……………………………………………………………14 3|Page GUJARAT NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY I. Introduction The Middle-east is a region encompassing Western Asia and all or parts of North Africa, depending on the context in which the term is used. The history of the Middle-east dates far back and it has been a major centre...
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...Two conflicts that are discussed in The Washington Post from December 11, 2006, both describe a conflicts between Shi’a and Sunni Muslims. One of the articles describes violence that broke out between Sunnis and Shiites in Iraq. Currently the situation in Iraq seems to be escalating and the groups are becoming increasingly polarized. Shi’a Muslims have been persecuted during the time of Saddam Hussein’s presidency and currently they are seeking recognition and revenge against the Sunnis, who enjoyed powerful positions and more freedom during Saddam's reign. Since the escalation of conflict, people on both sides have been killed or kidnapped; others had to leave their homes because they feared for their lives. The second Washington Post article on this topic talks about the conflict in Lebanon between its official government and the Hezbollah party. Lebanon also has a conflict between Sunnis and Shiites, since the prime minister of Lebanon, Fouad Seniora, is Sunni and a Hezbollah leader, Hasan Nasrallah, is Shi’a. So far, no military tactics have been used in Lebanon, but threats were exchanged. Supporters of Hezbollah have come out to the streets to protest against the government and there were rumors that the protestors were planning to block the roads in the Lebanese capital, Beirut. As a response, the government has sent troops to patrol the streets. The Hezbollah members have adopted a contentious tactic and would not settle for a compromise. One of Hezbollah's supporters...
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...Conflict- The Middle East Prompt: What are several ways the Sunni/Shiite split along with the geography of the Middle East contributing to/perpetuating/or otherwise related to conflict in the region today? Cite significant evidence from the readings. The Sunni and Shiite split along with the geography of the Middle East contributed to to the conflict in the region today. In 1916, the British diplomat Colonel Sir Mark Sykes divided the Middle East. He didn’t take into account the different religion or tribes in the Middle East, resulting in many families and groups being separated. The reading stated, “arbitrarily creating ‘nation states’ out of people unused to living together in one region is not a recipe for justice, equality, and stability.” The splitting of the Middle East has resulted in conflict that can still be seen in the Middle East today, and has sparked many other conflicts, such as the oil conflict, government...
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...Conflict Resolution Jason D. Macias MU11BSP08 August 30, 2012 Dr. Fathiah Inserto Conflict Resolution Often times in life we come across challenges and conflicts. From childhood problems like a cousin taking your toys to adult bar room brawls the way we approach them is important to the outcome. Currently the USA is lodged in the global war on terrorism. Although it is labeled as a war the correct term of it is conflict. My article represents this to a certain extent. It is mainly about the conflict with in the countries themselves and do the western civilizations have the best interests in the outcome. The Middle East has always been a hotbed for conflict. From religious wars amongst the different sects of Islam to the corruption of the governments that control the people. They war with in themselves to control the people and are divided because of class systems. Over time the western super powers took interest due to oil causing these countries to battle for control of their countries natural resources. Dictators spread throughout the region because of unrest with false promises of resolving the conflict. By exploiting the extreme poverty levels and needs of these people while flooding them with propaganda they resolve these conflicts by means of war against other would be dictators. The reason that the west takes interest in these conflicts is simple. If they war against themselves, the natural resources become limited. If a dictator is in power in oil or other...
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...Oil is the most widely used source of power in the entire world. Whether it be for powering cities to cars, oil is most likely used in some sort of way. According to CNN, 47.7% of the world's known oil reserves are in the Middle East. Having all that Oil in the Middle East poses a spectacular business opportunity for the Middle Eastern countries. The countries are already using the oil for business because almost all the countries revenue is more than half from oil. The oil has already been put to good use because it is being used for things like education, and healthcare, which has put a positive impact on the Middle East. Although, a challenger could say that oil has impacted the Middle East negatively because it has started wars, but, in...
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...WHEN ANSWERING SIMILAR QUESTIONS IN THEIR OWN STUDIES. The confrontation between the Jewish state and its Arab neighbours is one of the most enduring and iconic conflicts that still persist today. Many scholars have argued that ‘for the best part of a century the Arab-Israeli conflict has been a complex problem with important ramifications for the international community’[1] – and this is in many ways the truth. Created out of the ashes of the Second World War under the awful spectre of the Nazi Holocaust, Israel as a nation has survived and prospered both politically and economically, in no small part due to Western – primarily French and American – assistance. The Arab states have correspondingly been opposed to America and the West based on this implied support for Israel and has therefore turned to different stratagems in an attempt to combat this alliance – such as balancing with the USSR during the Cold War and increasingly using its market power (derived from the various oil reserves in the region) to further its political aims in the two decades since the Iron Curtain fell. Into this context there were two major (albeit rather short) wars – the Six Day War of 5-10 June 1967 and the Yom Kippur War of October 1973. Decisive, cataclysmic and dramatic, these two conflagrations have in many ways defined the conflict as it is today. But what were the main strategic and political consequences of these two wars? This essay will attempt to answer that question by examining...
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...The Future of the Middle East We often think of the Middle East as a volatile region, but for a time experts saw the region as relatively stable. Entrenched authoritarian regimes were seen as pillars of the region that rested on their coercive apparatus as well as rentierism to maintain their rule. Thus, it came as a shock to experts when the Arab Spring bulldozed regimes that had been in power for as long as forty years. The hope of the Arab Spring was to eradicate the despotic rulers of the Middle East and replace them with democratic institutions. However, this hope has not been realized as civil war, failures of newly democratic institutions and unscathed monarchies continue to plague the region. Still, the Arab Spring is in its infant stage. The outcomes in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and Syria remain to be seen while it appears that the monarchies of the region are stronger than ever. The future of the Middle East will be divided between the monarchies and the republics. The monarchies will most likely keep the status quo (with the help of the United States) while the republics will shape the future of democracy in the region. While it is impossible to predict the future of the Middle East due to a number of factors including the Arab-Israeli and Kurdish conflicts and the drying of oil wells, most experts on the Middle East would agree with the notion that monarchies will continue to remain unscathed in comparison to their non-monarchical neighbors. However, these same people...
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...of the war resulted in the destruction of the empires, particularly the Ottoman Empire and Austria-Hungary Empire. The dissolution of the Ottoman Empire allowed many Middle East countries to be self-governed, while the West such as Great Britain and France had more interest in Europe than in the Middle East enabled the former to play a dominant role of colonization in the region. This seeded confrontation between two different civilizations, resulting in chaos later and to a large extent helping shape the Middle East in today's world. This paper attempts to examine this history arguing how the Ottoman Empire declined and eventually dissolved at the end of WWI. It shows that the internal problems of the Empire, such as its backward political and economic system, failed to compete with the increasing influence of the Western European countries, whose government was more efficient and more industrialized than the former, in the Middle East. The paper starts with a discussion of the contemporary situation in the Empire, and then deals with the problems that led to the conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and the European powers over the Middle East during WWI. It finally analyzes how the defeat of the Ottomans and the increasing British and French dominance in the Middle East laid the ground for today's conflicts in the region between the Arabic states and the Jewish nation, which is supported by the West. Since 1600s the Ottoman Empire had controlled a large territory extended...
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...Topic: The Rise of Isis Thesis Statement: The reckless desire for power in the middle east has lead to persistent complications throughout the Muslim population regardless of the Sunni and Shia peoples’ beliefs. These uprising difficulties have caused disturbances within the civilians of various countries in the middle east, political complications between the middle east and western regions as well as global fear of unknown uprising terror attacks. The rise of ISIS, explained in 6 minutes by “Vox” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzmO6RWy1v8 Despite the short length of this six minute video, it contains extensive content to provide all viewers with general information on the rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. The video thoroughly...
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...The Hezbollah have played a major role in contributing to the conflict in the Middle East. As a ‘party of God’ they have been labelled as a terrorist organisation for their ‘revolutionary resistance’ to Israeli presence in the Middle East. The future of the Hezbollah is currently unknown but many believe it has passed its time. Almost every conflict seen or heard in the media and on the news about the Middle East has been attributed to a war or a ‘Jihad’ against Western ideology. There are many different groups and Islamic extremists that have declared war on Western society including the Jewish people within the State of Israel. But one extremist Islamic political party or militant group behind anti-Israeli culture and their occupation in...
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...Introduction The United States has a long history of getting involved in foreign politics, and conflicts. Sometimes to slow the spread of a different political/economic ideas, and other times to acquire goods like oil, that are held by foreign/hostile nations. The U.S. has been involved in shaping the politics of countries across the globe. From Vietnam, to Iran, U.S. influence has created instability, harsh regimes, and a massive death toll, all in the name to protect foreign interests, either economic or political, it usually comes at the cost of many lives, and much sacrifice. More problems are created by U.S. intervention in foreign affairs. Not only does U.S. influence in international affairs create problems, it halts the progress of a united and friendly world. 2. Influence in the Middle East creates destabilization In recent years, there has been a surge of conflict in the Middle East...
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...WMD proliferation, Instability in the MiddleEast, Oil supply uncertainty) Of all the political risks covered, the Iraq/Middle East threat has the greatest likelihood of triggering the other major threats. Thus, the worsening of the Iraq/Middle East situation poses the gravest threat to the growth and stability of the world economy. If the situation in Iraq further deteriorates, the threat of sectarian violence spreading in the region increases and instability results. By this threat alone, this is a serious risk. However, the chain of events it could trigger is more significant. *Increasing incentives to join terrorism The conflict in Iraq and the Middle East, where civilian lives were lost and impoverished makes it easier for terrorist groups to attract new recruits. Destruction of lives and property, as well as the resulting chaos could popularize anti-US/Western sentiment. Also, joining terrorist groups could also be an escape from the difficulty of surviving in the ongoing chaos. The threat of this new wave of terrorist activities could result in a more unsecure world, where asymmetric warfare could break out in different regions. *Worsening oil supply uncertainty As the Middle East region accounts for more than half of the world’s oil reserves, with Saudi Arabia alone accounting for 25%, the effect of an unstable Middle East directly leads to a more uncertain oil supply for the world. Over the recent years, the number of attacks on oil-producing infrastructure...
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...Conflict can result in both good and bad outcomes, it only depends on the strategy used to resolve the conflict. If well managed, conflict brings about strong ties and good relationships between the conflicting parties. On the contrary, if not well managed and either of the conflicting parties feels oppressed by the outcome, a more severe conflict may arise that might lead to either of the parties hurting each other for the purpose of revenge to prove their point. Syria is a country that lived very peaceful a few years ago, however, a mild conflict between two Muslim parties that was there for centuries since the death of Prophet Muhammad led to another conflict that was inflicted politically. The political conflict then resulted in some citizens...
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...2015 YouTube Assignment “The Walk From “No” to “Yes” The video “The Walk From “No” to “Yes,” by William Ury, Mr. Ury explains the difficulties in negotiation. William Ury uses his personal stories to demonstrate to the audience that even in the hardest negotiation there is always a way to find peace and reaching an agreement. In a negotiation there are usually two sides fighting each other, rarely do those party realize that there is another party that can be involve in the argument the “third party”. Ury’s views of negotiation can be apply into daily life by using the “going to the balcony” theory, rethink and reframe your options in hand, thinking about others point of view. William Ury began his speech by telling the story of a Middle Eastern man that willed his three sons seventeen camels. The sons were to split the camels accordingly, the first son was to get one half of the camels, the second son was to get one third of the camels and the last the third son was to get one ninth of the camels. Since the seventeen camels could not be split evenly, the three sons went to ask an elderly lady for advice, but she was unable to help them. The elderly lady decided to give them one of her camels, now the three sons had eighteen camels. They split the camels accordingly the first son got nine camels, the second son got six and the youngest got two camels. They then had one camel leaf-over they decided to give it back to the old lady. If the brothers from the beginning had solve...
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...Making things worse in the Middle East Over the past few months, the Middle East has become an even more violent place than usual. Iraq is now once again home to one of the most bloody civil wars in the world, after Syria of course, which is the worst. Watching these horrors unfold, many in the United States are convinced that this is Washington’s fault or that, at the very least, the Obama administration’s “passive” approach toward the region has allowed instability to build. In fact, the last thing the region needs is more U.S. intervention. The Middle East is in the midst of a sectarian struggle, like those between Catholics and Protestants in Europe in the age of the Reformation. These tensions are rooted in history and politics and will not easily go away. Three factors have led us to this state of affairs. First, the structure of Middle Eastern states. The modern Middle East was created by the colonial powers at the end of World War I. The states the British and French created, often with little forethought, were composed of disparate groups that had no history of being governed as one entity. Iraq, for example, was formed by putting together three Ottoman provinces that had little in common. The colonial powers often chose a set of rulers who came from a minority group. (It was a cunning strategy. A minority regime always needs the help of some outside force to rule.) Thus the French, when facing a nationalist insurgency in Syria in the 1930s and 1940s, recruited...
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