The scarcity and rapid depletion of water in one of the world's driest regions continues to be a major determinant of the domestic and external policies of the major actors in the Middle East. Israel, Jordan, and the West Bank will have exhausted virtually all their renewable sources of fresh water by 1995 if current patterns of consumption are not radically altered. This study examines the hydrological, historical, legal, and strategic dimensions of water problems in the Middle East and discusses their implications for the future.
Preface -- Water in the Middle East: Complexities, Commonalities, Conflict -- The Jordan River -- The Litani -- The Euphrates River and the Shatt al-Arab -- The Orontes River -- The Nile River -- Legal Aspects of National Claims to Middle Eastern Rivers -- Middle East Water: The Potential for Conflict or Cooperation -- List of Units Used in Study -- Executive Summary
Biography
Thomas Naff is director of the Middle East Research Institute of the University of Pennsylvania. Ruth C. Matson is assistant to the director and is the editor for the Middle East Research Institute.
