Watersheds And Problemsheds

Miraculously, and above all silently, Middle East governments have been able to avoid the apparently inevitable consequences of their inherited water deficits, despite the fact that this is a life-and-death economic issue for them and their peoples. How these countries can continue to avoid such conflicts while fulfilling their needs is an important issue for the region.

Analysis based on watersheds has led to the misleading conclusion that water deficits will be the cause of major armed conflict in the Middle East. Yet water has not been even a minor element in a regional conflict scenario for over a quarter of a century.