Desalination’s Impacts on Interstate Cooperation and Competition in the Middle East

Technological advancements have facilitated the expansion of affordable desalination in many regions of the world. In the arid countries of the Middle East, desalination has been perceived as a quick fix for the rising water demands of the region’s growing populations and economies. This paper analyzes the impacts of the rise of desalination on interstate cooperation and competition in the Middle East. With the increased attractiveness of seawater desalination, governments are relying more on desalination in order to ease external pressures on freshwater resources and depoliticize water issues. Considering the environmental impacts of desalination and the risks facing large-scale infrastructure, desalination will require more cooperation over shared water bodies. It is also a key resource within political agendas aiming to reshape the regional economy of the Middle East based on industrial cooperation and sustainable technologies.