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Contested Waters: Flashpoints for Conflict in Asia

Date: Tuesday, December 1, 2020 / Time: 9:00am - 10:30am EST

Center: Asia Center

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No modern states have ever declared war over water. In fact, nations dependent on shared water sources have collaborated far more frequently than they have clashed. Nevertheless, global surveys have counted over 40 hostile or militarized international actions over water—from riots to border skirmishes to larger battles—in the first six decades after World War II.

On December 1, USIP held a virtual discussion on the future of water conflict and water diplomacy. Environmental peacebuilding experts and activists from Burma, India, and Pakistan discussed the strategies they use to mitigate water conflict risks in their countries, and examined insights from a new USIP report, “Water Conflict Pathways and Peacebuilding Strategies,” that may help develop early warning indicators for emerging water-based conflicts.

Continue the conversation on Twitter with #WaterConflictPathways. 

Speakers

Tegan Blaine
Senior Advisor on Environment and Conflict, U.S. Institute of Peace

David Michel
Senior Researcher, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute; Author, “Water Conflict Pathways and Peacebuilding Strategies”

Abdul Aijaz
Doctoral Candidate, Indiana University Bloomington

Amit Ranjan
Research Fellow, Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore

Z Nang Raw
Director of Policy and Strategy, Nyein Foundation 

Jumaina Siddiqui, moderator
Senior Program Officer for South Asia, U.S. Institute of Peace

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