GEOPOLITICS OF WATER

If Middle Eastern countries want to avoid a new wave of disasters and conflicts, they must place water at the centre of their diplomatic strategies

- Shlomo Ben-Ami

In early November, as Iran's years-long drought reached an intensity "unprecedented in modern times," crowds of worshippers gathered at a mosque in Tehran and tilted their faces upward, pleading for rain. But no amount of prayer in Iran or anywhere else can offset an entrenched culture of water mismanagement against a backdrop of accelerating climate change. Iran has a long history of irresponsible dam-building practices, ineffective urban planning, excessive subsidies, and resistance to technological upgrading. Add to that desertification resulting from drought, deforestation, and unsustainable agricultural practices, and it is no wonder that water has emerged as a major risk factor for the country.