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Blog 6: Final Reflections

Final Reflections on Water and Politics.  As I have written these blogs, I have realised how water politics is beyond transboundary river conflicts. I see how the ideas of Politics and Water exist because water IS political: water determines development, it is used tactically, it enables power and diminishes it simultaneously. The presence of water can determine the existence of a country and provides gateways for political opportunities and clashes. Its mere existence causes conflict, and the lack of its existence causes conflict. Prior to writing this blog, I never considered the everyday politics of water - it never struck me to see anything but global events, government interventions and military conflict as the politics of water. Therefore, my blog started out as quite broad and general. During my research, I slowly understood the everyday, local politics of water, from a farmer’s fear for their livelihood or a mother’s strenuous journey to get undrinkable water for her children.
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Blog 5: Israel in Africa: Irony, neo-colonialism or just a helping hand?

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Israel in Africa: Irony, neo-colonialism or just a helping hand?   Israel in Africa:  While many African countries have voted ‘ in favour of pro-Palestinian resolutions at the United Nations General Assembly ’, Israel is known to be widening its presence in Africa, namely Kenya and South Africa. One may wonder if this is a form of neo-colonialism and if history is repeating itself, albeit in a more modern way.  Israel is world-renowned for its technological advancements in water development and other sustainability projects, to the point where the title ‘ superpower of sustainability ’ is given to the country. Israel offers consultations regarding water access, ‘ deep irrigation, desalination, leak detection, drawing water from the air and wastewater recycling .’ For example, Energiya Global , an Israeli company, plans to finance $2 billion worth of projects  across Africa, many of which are concerned with water . A campaign by Israel for South Africa, promoting the use of Israeli tec
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Blog 4: Unstable Futures: The Curse of the River Nile

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Blog 4: Unstable Futures: The Curse of the River Nile  Political History of the Nile:  The River Nile played a critical and strategic role in Egypt. It encouraged the blossoming of civilisations during the Pharaonic period, allowing the country to command great political power as ‘the part of Africa that receives its source of life ( Tayia et al, 2021: 299) .’ A short and concise history of Nile politics. The Nile politics we know today is very much influenced by the happenings of 19th and 20th-century European imperialism. Under British colonial rule, the River Nile was protected by the empire ( Swain, 2011: 690 ), which was also involved in the distribution of its waters, too. In 1959, it was decided that the downstream nations of Egypt and Sudan would get most of the Nile’s water, with ‘ 48 billion cubic metres going to Egypt and 4 billion to Sudan .’ This agreement also prevented Ethiopia from building dams along the river. The political obsession with the Nile continued when powe
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Blog 3: COP27: 'Water Politics' or Just 'Politics'...

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COP27: 'Water Politics' or Just 'Politics'...  Csaba Kőrösi, the President of the UN General Assembly claimed the 2022 COP ‘ is the water COP .’ However, is this really true? Introduction:  Problems with the global water supply and distribution are inextricably linked to climate change - ‘ 3.6 billion people face inadequate access to water at least a month per year… [which] is expected to increase to more than 5 billion by 2050’. This is more than half of the entire population on Earth set to experience problems with access to water. Indeed, already 1 out of 10 people cannot rely on their water sources for clean water. This is set to increase as the consequences of climate change become more intense: more pollution, prolonged droughts, more dry wells and more dangerous weather events.  Africa is at the heart of the water crisis. It is said that ‘without accelerated action, ‘ 80% of African nations are unlikely to have sustainably managed water resources by 2030 .’ In f
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Blog 2: Initial Thoughts on Water and Politics Continued

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  Initial Thoughts on Water and Politics Continued  As I have continued to read on the topic of Water and Politics, I realise the inherent assumptions in my previous blog post. My main question was 'how do you develop as a society if you do not have the appropriate water sources, while there is an inability to increase to improve water sources due to the lack of development in your society?' My argument misses out on a key piece of information: while countries may be considered 'developing', their governments always have a money tree. Secondly, my question and thought process was not nuanced enough - I should have outlined specific 'water sources' that attract financial investment and increase development throughout a country. For example, many developing countries rely on agriculture for their livelihoods; therefore, many must rely on irrigation to some extent. The question is more about, do they have the development required for large-scale infrastructures tie
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Blog 1: My Initial Thought on Politics and Water

 My Initial Thought on Politics and Water    My initial thoughts on the relationship between Water and Politics is an incredibly development-focused idea. Currently, I am curious and confused as to why I think this relationship does not seem to be working. From previous readings and research, I think there is an ineffectiveness when it comes to the role of the state. Some questions I have are: Why is the distribution of water so difficult to achieve fairly? Why are some not yet able to secure stable water investments? What is being done to tackle water poverty on a national level and to what extent is it effective? Due to this, I cannot help but imagine a negative cycle in many countries when it comes to their water and development.  Let me explain: water causes development (economic and social) and development increases access to water.  Hence, my thoughts and confusions are with the countries that do not have the water (in terms of quantity, quality or affordability) to attract inves
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