Water resources of Kyrgyzstan as a geopolitical tool

The thesis deals with the importance of water resources and their influence on political development with the example of Kyrgyzstan. The main objective was to find out the role of water resources in domestic politics, how water influences the relationship between Kyrgyzstan and its neighbors, and whether water resources are of interest to the world's superpowers. Geopolitical analysis was carried out on three levels. At national level, water scarcity, uneven distribution and obsolete water systems are a cause of civil discontent. Corruption in the state sphere negates the possibility of modernization of existing water facilities. Water management is dependent on non-governmental associations and foreign financial assistance. At regional level, there is constant tension between Kyrgyzstan, where all the important rivers of the region rise, and the states lying downstream of these rivers. The cause of this tension is different demands of individual states on water use. International treaties address the situation, but are mostly non-functional in the long term. At the supra-regional level, the interests of especially Russia and China collide. Both superpowers seek to prevent US influence in the region. At the same time, they gain a dominant position in Kyrgyzstan in the economic and security spheres...