13 research outputs found
The analytical framework of water and armed conflict: a focus on the 2006 Summer War between Israel and Lebanon
This paper develops an analytical framework to investigate the relationship between water and armed conflict, and applies it to the âSummer Warâ of 2006 between Israel and Lebanon (Hezbollah). The framework broadens and deepens existing classifications by assessing the impact of acts of war as indiscriminate or targeted, and evaluating them in terms of international norms and law, in particular International Humanitarian Law (IHL). In the case at hand, the relationship is characterised by extensive damage in Lebanon to drinking water infrastructure and resources. This is seen as a clear violation of the letter and the spirit of IHL, while the partial destruction of more than 50 public water towers compromises water rights and national development goals. The absence of pre-war environmental baselines makes it difficult to gauge the impact on water resources, suggesting a role for those with first-hand knowledge of the hostilities to develop a more effective response before, during, and after armed conflict
Livelihoods, conïŹict and aid programming: Is the evidence base good enough?
In conflict-affected situations, aid-funded livelihood interventions are often tasked with a dual
imperative: to generate material welfare benefits and to contribute to peacebuilding outcomes.
There may be some logic to such a transformative agenda, but does the reality square with the
rhetoric? Through a review of the effectiveness of a range of livelihood promotion interventionsâfrom job creation to microfinanceâthis paper finds that high quality empirical evidence
is hard to come by in conflict-affected situations. Many evaluations appear to conflate outputs
with impacts and numerous studies fail to include adequate information on their methodologies
and datasets, making it difficult to appraise the reliability of their conclusions. Given the primary
purpose of this literatureâto provide policy guidance on effective ways to promote livelihoodsâ
this silence is particularly concerning. As such, there is a strong case to be made for a restrained
and nuanced handling of such interventions in conflict-affected settings.Department for International Development - PO511
Beyond zero sum game allocations: expanding resources potentials through reduced interdependencies and increased resource nexus synergies
Spatial and temporal distribution of natural ponds, using GIS and remote sensing, Northeast of Iraq
Using principal component analysis in the investigation of groundwater hydrochemistry of Upper Jezireh Basin, Syria
Variability in chert raw material procurement and use during the Upper Paleolithic and Early Neolithic of the southern Levant: A regional perspective from the Greater Petra area
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Mid- to late-Holocene archaeology, environment and climate in the northeast Kurdistan region of Iraq
This work presents new data from phytolith and speleothem analyses that cover the middle to late Holocene from northeastern Iraq in the Kurdistan region. Coupling these data with previous work, we demonstrate how the regionâs environment and climate developed during a time when agriculture became not only established but settlements started to transform into larger urban areas. Results demonstrate a wetter phase during the middle Holocene relative to the present period; a highly seasonal climate with one rainy season is also suggested between 8025 ± 38 and 6977 ± 219 BP. Phytoliths not only suggest a relatively wet environment but they also indicate a diversity of plants used for settlement activity. Sedimentary results complement the indication of a relatively wetter middle Holocene. Archaeologically, terraced construction found in Gurga Chiya and the presence of drought tolerant crops suggest adaptation to stronger, seasonal rains and seasonal droughts in the middle Holocene. Sedimentary, phytolith, and speleothem results suggest relatively drier late-Holocene conditions, although the region continued to be conducive for rainfed agriculture
Depoliticizing water conflict: functional peacebuilding in the Red SeaâDead Sea Water Conveyance project
This article analyses the nexus of technocracyâpeacebuilding and its implications on water conflicts and hydropolitics. It is a conceptual exploration which advances an interdisciplinary approach by combining theories from two distinct research fields: peacebuilding and transboundary water management. It probes the argument that synergies between water management, development and peacebuilding frequently lead to technocratic and functional solutions. As empirical case illustration, the transboundary project, the Red SeaâDead Sea Water Conveyance (RSDSWC) is analysed regarding its peacebuilding and peace promoting potential. Three concluding remarks are drawn from the conceptual and empirical analysis. First, strong emphasis on technocratic solutions is inclined to favour supply-oriented options rather than solutions based on ethics of sustainable development and rights-based distribution. Second, functional solutions to water conflicts downplay at times complex hydro-political and asymmetrical relations between adversaries. Third, wider trends of privatization in the water sector coincide with similar developments in the field of peacebuilding, where new transnational actors are gaining influence as ânew peacemakersâ, which are likely to have long-term consequences on power relations and the resolution of water conflict