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Power Relations in the Mekong River Basin - A look into the discourse of the Mekong River Commission

Bajorinas, Kipras LU (2021) SGED10 20211
Department of Human Geography
Abstract
This study concerns itself with power assymetries between states as well as cooperative
arrangements within the Mekong River Basin. Transboundary frameworks for cooperation are
often faced with challenges in harmonizing policy in the face of competing interests and unequal
power relations between states and stakeholders. These challenges are especially evident in
the context of the Mekong River Basin, where the river flows through the territories of six
riparian nations with China holding the most power. The largest of these transboundary
frameworks tasked with the role of a water diplomat in the region is a river basin organization
known as the Mekong River Commission (MRC). Using the theories of critical geopolitics and
... (More)
This study concerns itself with power assymetries between states as well as cooperative
arrangements within the Mekong River Basin. Transboundary frameworks for cooperation are
often faced with challenges in harmonizing policy in the face of competing interests and unequal
power relations between states and stakeholders. These challenges are especially evident in
the context of the Mekong River Basin, where the river flows through the territories of six
riparian nations with China holding the most power. The largest of these transboundary
frameworks tasked with the role of a water diplomat in the region is a river basin organization
known as the Mekong River Commission (MRC). Using the theories of critical geopolitics and
hydro-hegemony, this paper employs a critical discourse analysis of MRC strategy documents to
investigate the role of power assymetries and relations in affecting the commission’s strategy
and role in the basin. The findings show that the MRC’s strategy to strengthen itself as an
international river basin organization is a geopolitical act to position itself to attain more
influence as a counter-hegemonic actor to China in the basin, in order to reverse the power
assymetries towards its non-hegemonic member states. The strategy documents themselves
are also interpreted to be a powerful discursive tool to boost donor confidence and secure itself
as a leading river basin organization in the region. Finally, the analysis of MRC discourse in
relation to China shows the limit in the MRC’s ability to upend existing unequal power relations
towards more non hydro-hegemonic influence due to its failure to harmonize policy among its
member states, China’s upstream geographic power as well as the addition of a new
institutional arrangement known as the Lancang-Mekong cooperation, which is interpreted to be
a challenge to MRC’s claim to be a leading international river basin organization in the region. (Less)
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author
Bajorinas, Kipras LU
supervisor
organization
course
SGED10 20211
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
Power, Mekong river basin, discourse
language
English
id
9054747
date added to LUP
2021-06-16 08:12:38
date last changed
2021-06-16 08:12:38
@misc{9054747,
  abstract     = {{This study concerns itself with power assymetries between states as well as cooperative
arrangements within the Mekong River Basin. Transboundary frameworks for cooperation are
often faced with challenges in harmonizing policy in the face of competing interests and unequal
power relations between states and stakeholders. These challenges are especially evident in
the context of the Mekong River Basin, where the river flows through the territories of six
riparian nations with China holding the most power. The largest of these transboundary
frameworks tasked with the role of a water diplomat in the region is a river basin organization
known as the Mekong River Commission (MRC). Using the theories of critical geopolitics and
hydro-hegemony, this paper employs a critical discourse analysis of MRC strategy documents to
investigate the role of power assymetries and relations in affecting the commission’s strategy
and role in the basin. The findings show that the MRC’s strategy to strengthen itself as an
international river basin organization is a geopolitical act to position itself to attain more
influence as a counter-hegemonic actor to China in the basin, in order to reverse the power
assymetries towards its non-hegemonic member states. The strategy documents themselves
are also interpreted to be a powerful discursive tool to boost donor confidence and secure itself
as a leading river basin organization in the region. Finally, the analysis of MRC discourse in
relation to China shows the limit in the MRC’s ability to upend existing unequal power relations
towards more non hydro-hegemonic influence due to its failure to harmonize policy among its
member states, China’s upstream geographic power as well as the addition of a new
institutional arrangement known as the Lancang-Mekong cooperation, which is interpreted to be
a challenge to MRC’s claim to be a leading international river basin organization in the region.}},
  author       = {{Bajorinas, Kipras}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Power Relations in the Mekong River Basin - A look into the discourse of the Mekong River Commission}},
  year         = {{2021}},
}