Politics of Formalized River Cooperation

Journal of Peace Research, Vol. 46, No. 5, 2009

34 Pages Posted: 5 Jan 2009 Last revised: 22 Feb 2009

See all articles by Jaroslav Tir

Jaroslav Tir

University of Georgia - Department of International Affairs

John T. Ackerman

Government of the United States of America - Air Command and Staff College

Date Written: January 4, 2009

Abstract

While much of the extant literature has focused on the potential of international rivers to generate militarized conflict, this study builds on more recent works that examine the politics of river cooperation. The article focuses on the efforts to regulate the use of international rivers formally by the means of treaties. The theoretical framework incorporates prominent variables from the (neo)realist and neoliberal schools of thought as well as the need for potable water and river-related geographic factors. The framework is used to generate expectations about whether riparian countries will enter into the treaties dealing in particular with the issues of water quantity and quality. Systematic empirical evaluations covering the entire world in the 1948-2000 time period confirm some while challenging much of the conventional wisdom on the topic. Specifically, preponderant power distribution, economic interdependence, democratic governance, and water scarcity all increase the chances for formalized river cooperation between contiguous riparian states. In contrast, the findings suggest that the roles of allegedly important and problematic factors such as the upstream/downstream relationship and recent militarized conflict have been exaggerated in earlier research. Cumulatively, the findings sound a cautiously optimistic note for the prospects of the spread of formal river cooperation in the less developed parts of the world.

Keywords: river, water, treaty, cooperation, conflict, dispute, environment

Suggested Citation

Tir, Jaroslav and Ackerman, John T., Politics of Formalized River Cooperation (January 4, 2009). Journal of Peace Research, Vol. 46, No. 5, 2009, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1323045

Jaroslav Tir (Contact Author)

University of Georgia - Department of International Affairs ( email )

Athens, GA 30602-6254
United States

John T. Ackerman

Government of the United States of America - Air Command and Staff College ( email )

225 Chennault Circle
225 Chennault Circle, Maxwell AFB
Maxwell AFB, AL 36112
United States

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