The war that never happened : the sharing of Euphrates-Tigris Rivers' water between Turkey, Syria and Iraq

Most recent studies and reports indicate that there is a significant risk of conflicts and wars over water sharing in the Middle East because of scarcity. Apart from exaggerating the scarcity of water resources and the likelihood of war, the major flaw of these assessments is that they just identify and do not solve the problem of water scarcity. The idea that water scarcity is the main source of conflict in the region is too narrow. Because water is so essential to life, even hostile coriparians have historically sought to compromise rather go to war over this resource, even as disputes have raged on other issues. Indeed, the historical record is predominantly cooperation rather than conflict when it comes to water sharing. This thesis provides a clear description of why water scarcity has not caused a violent conflict between Turkey, Syria and Iraq in the Euphrates-Tigris River Basin.http://archive.org/details/thewarthatneverh10945884Second Lieutenant, Turkish Air ForceApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited