Groundwater The Strategic Resource PDF Download

The most likely source of political and social unrest in the Middle East over the next twenty years is not warfare or military coups--it's water. Ten of the 15 most water-poor countries in the world are in the Middle East, and agricultural policies in the region are depleting already scarce groundwater reserves at an alarming rate. If this process continues, it will undermine the strength of governments that tout their control over water as a political success. Preventing crisis will require all the political will, governance skill and leadership that Middle Eastern governments can muster. The CSIS Middle East Program is working to frame water in a way that strategic thinkers in the Middle East can grasp, much as they already think about military balances, population, and economics. To that end, CSIS has published, Clear Gold: Water as a Strategic Resource in the Middle East, a traditional analysis paper discusses how water shortage makes governments in the Middle East strategically vulnerable, and how leaders can manage this vulnerability in an equally strategic way. CSIS also created short videos that capture the essential points of the report and draws viewers to reading it.