Water and the Future of the Middle East

Provoking a paradigm shift in how international actors think about water security in the region.

Water security has shaped the trajectory of the Middle East’s social, political, and economic conditions for millennia. As water tables drop and countries lose resilience to droughts and floods, water will play an even more important role in shaping the region’s future. The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region hosts 12 of the 17 most-water-stressed countries in the world. Natural scarcity, decades of mismanagement, and accelerating climate change are combining now to place unprecedented pressure on populations and their governments. Population growth, conflict, and displacement have sharply raised the consequences of resource mismanagement. 

The CSIS Middle East program will seek to energize the policy environment—including Middle Eastern governments, civil society, aid agencies, and regional and global financial institutions—around more effective solutions. It will do so both by highlighting the rising salience of water insecurity in the Middle East and exploring constructive, practical, and actionable responses to the challenge. We also will deepen understanding of how water acts as a driver of conflict and instability or reconciliation in the Middle East, both within states and between states. By focusing on specific areas of concern, CSIS will be able to evaluate the second- and third-order effects of water insecurity and develop concrete recommendations for positive and necessary transformation.

This project is part of the Middle East Transformation Initiative, which is supported by Bahaa Rafic Hariri.

Advisory Board Members

Advisory board members of the Water and the Future of the Middle East project as part of the Middle East Transformation Initiative

Photo: CSIS

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Redefining Climate Finance for a Troubled World

As funding for climate adaptation dwindles in the face of competing crises, climate financing should be mainstreamed into all investments and aid programs, while confronting the underlying governance issues that are often at the core of vulnerability to climate change.

Commentary by Natasha Hall — February 5, 2024

The Siege of Gaza’s Water

The siege on Gaza is crippling the territory’s water systems. Clean water and sanitation are unavailable for most, threatening a public health disaster. Improving water access is critical to preventing further loss of life and livelihoods and to rebuilding a secure future.

Commentary by Natasha Hall, Anita Kirschenbaum, and David Michel — January 12, 2024

Growing Cities On The Frontlines of Climate Change

Agriculture is a huge consumer of water and a major emitter of greenhouse gases. It affects and is affected by climate change. Natasha Hall argues that a focus on agriculture should not distract from the need to address cities, where most people live.

Blog Post by Natasha Hall — December 19, 2023

Event Summary: Water and Conflict Panel at UNGA 78

Natasha Hall moderated a side event to the 78th session of the UN General Assembly titled, “Water and Conflict: Addressing Water Insecurity Issues in Fragile and Conflict-Affected Countries,” bringing together government leaders, civil society members, and researchers.

Blog Post by Natasha Hall — October 31, 2023

Running Dry: Exploring the Water Crisis in Syria

Please join the Middle East Program for an event that sheds light on the water crisis in Syria and explores its effects on local communities with a focus on the political, financial, and social obstacles to alleviating water insecurity.

Event — September 19, 2023

Audio Briefs

“Whose Water Is It Anyway”: Audio Brief with Natasha Hall

A short, spoken-word summary from CSIS’s Natasha Hall on her commentary with Husam Sobhi, “Whose Water Is It Anyway: How Political Violence and Corruption Has Become Iraq’s Existential Challenge.”

Podcast Episode by Natasha Hall — September 19, 2023

Audio Briefs

Event Summary: Running Dry: Exploring the Water Crisis in Syria

As the water crisis in Syria reaches a breaking point, CSIS convened civil society members and researchers on September 19 to discuss the complexity of the current situation, the role of donor countries, and avenues for sustainable change. Panelists emphasized that the current approach to resolving the crisis is inconsistent and unsustainable. Stakeholders must move towards a data-informed, comprehensive, and unified approach to address this worsening crisis. 

Blog Post by Natasha Hall — September 19, 2023

Water in a Multipolar World: China and the Issue of Water Management

Senior Fellow Natasha Hall and Professor Ashok Swain argue that as water becomes scarcer, China’s financing and construction of dams worldwide could have profound social, security, and environmental consequences.   

Commentary by Natasha Hall and Ashok Swain — August 14, 2023