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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Mohsen NagheebyORCiD, Professor Jaime AmezagaORCiD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
Water diplomacy and conflict transformation are dominated by an interest-based paradigm, where attention is given solely to achieving security and peace. We intend to critically challenge this paradigm – which is mainly dominated by the views of the Global North – by emphasising two other important but often overlooked elements: equity and identity. We argue that diplomacy within the contemporary paradigm is easily manipulated by the broader security and peace interests of foreign powers in a manifestation of global and regional geopolitical rivalry. We conclude that pro-security-peace water diplomacy is an inefficacious remedy, and posit instead that equity and particularly identity should be placed at the heart of water diplomacy and conflict transformation. While introducing a new alternative definition, we call for a paradigm shift, from security-peace to equity-identity orientation, to give space for the voice of the Global South in the analysis of hydropolitical relations. This approach affords additional insights into and explanations for hydropolitical patterns, and helps us to define new strategies for decolonising water diplomacy in practice.
Author(s): Nagheeby Mohsen, Amezaga Jaime
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Water Policy
Year: 2023
Volume: 25
Issue: 8
Pages: 835–850
Print publication date: 01/08/2023
Online publication date: 19/07/2023
Acceptance date: 04/07/2023
Date deposited: 06/09/2023
ISSN (print): 1366-7017
ISSN (electronic): 1996-9759
Publisher: IWA
URL: https://doi.org/10.2166/wp.2023.043
DOI: 10.2166/wp.2023.043
Data Access Statement: All relevant data are included in the paper or its Supplementary Information.
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