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Depoliticising water conflict. The quest for functional peacebuilding in the Red Sea-Dead-Sea-Water-Conveyance project.

Aggestam, Karin LU orcid and Sundell, Anna LU (2016) In Hydrological Sciences Journal 61(7). p.1302-1312
Abstract
This article analyses the nexus of technocracy-peacebuilding and its implications on water conflicts and hydropolitics. It is a conceptual exploration, which advances an interdisciplinary approach by combining theories from two distinct research fields: peacebuilding and transboundary water management. It probes the argument that synergies between water management, development and peacebuilding frequently lead to technocratic and functional solutions. As empirical case illustration, the transboundary project, the Red Sea-Dead Sea Water Conveyance (RSDSWC) is analysed regarding its peacebuilding and peace promoting potential. Three concluding remarks are drawn from the conceptual and empirical analysis. First, strong emphasis on... (More)
This article analyses the nexus of technocracy-peacebuilding and its implications on water conflicts and hydropolitics. It is a conceptual exploration, which advances an interdisciplinary approach by combining theories from two distinct research fields: peacebuilding and transboundary water management. It probes the argument that synergies between water management, development and peacebuilding frequently lead to technocratic and functional solutions. As empirical case illustration, the transboundary project, the Red Sea-Dead Sea Water Conveyance (RSDSWC) is analysed regarding its peacebuilding and peace promoting potential. Three concluding remarks are drawn from the conceptual and empirical analysis. First, strong emphasis on technocratic solutions is inclined to favour supply-oriented options rather than solutions based on ethics of sustainable development and right-based distribution. Second, functional solutions to water conflicts downplay at times complex hydro-political and asymmetrical relations between adversaries. Third, wider trends of privatisation in the water sector coincide with similar developments in the field of peacebuilding where new transnational actors are gaining influence as “new peacemakers”, which are likely to have long-term consequences on power relations and the resolution of water conflict. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Read Sea, hydropolitics, technocracy, depoliticisation, peacebuilding, water conflict, Dead Sea, Israel, Jordan, Palestinians
in
Hydrological Sciences Journal
volume
61
issue
7
pages
1302 - 1312
publisher
Taylor & Francis
external identifiers
  • scopus:84963569144
  • wos:000378697700013
ISSN
0262-6667
DOI
10.1080/02626667.2014.999778
project
Lund Human Rights Research Hub
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
First published Online, 20 December 2014
id
97244037-6ad2-42ce-989e-9d316133bba4 (old id 8167872)
date added to LUP
2016-04-04 08:47:33
date last changed
2023-10-03 17:31:56
@article{97244037-6ad2-42ce-989e-9d316133bba4,
  abstract     = {{This article analyses the nexus of technocracy-peacebuilding and its implications on water conflicts and hydropolitics. It is a conceptual exploration, which advances an interdisciplinary approach by combining theories from two distinct research fields: peacebuilding and transboundary water management. It probes the argument that synergies between water management, development and peacebuilding frequently lead to technocratic and functional solutions. As empirical case illustration, the transboundary project, the Red Sea-Dead Sea Water Conveyance (RSDSWC) is analysed regarding its peacebuilding and peace promoting potential. Three concluding remarks are drawn from the conceptual and empirical analysis. First, strong emphasis on technocratic solutions is inclined to favour supply-oriented options rather than solutions based on ethics of sustainable development and right-based distribution. Second, functional solutions to water conflicts downplay at times complex hydro-political and asymmetrical relations between adversaries. Third, wider trends of privatisation in the water sector coincide with similar developments in the field of peacebuilding where new transnational actors are gaining influence as “new peacemakers”, which are likely to have long-term consequences on power relations and the resolution of water conflict.}},
  author       = {{Aggestam, Karin and Sundell, Anna}},
  issn         = {{0262-6667}},
  keywords     = {{Read Sea; hydropolitics; technocracy; depoliticisation; peacebuilding; water conflict; Dead Sea; Israel; Jordan; Palestinians}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{7}},
  pages        = {{1302--1312}},
  publisher    = {{Taylor & Francis}},
  series       = {{Hydrological Sciences Journal}},
  title        = {{Depoliticising water conflict. The quest for functional peacebuilding in the Red Sea-Dead-Sea-Water-Conveyance project.}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02626667.2014.999778}},
  doi          = {{10.1080/02626667.2014.999778}},
  volume       = {{61}},
  year         = {{2016}},
}