Clear Gold: Water and Conflict in the Middle East
By Jon B. Alterman,
on ,
Briefing

The most likely source of political and social unrest in the Middle East over the next 20 years is not warfare or military coups -- it's water. Military threats get all the press, but water is the real game-changer.
It is no secret that the Middle East is water-starved. Of the 15 most water-poor countries in the world, 10 are in the Middle East. When King Abdul Aziz ibn Saud first brought geologists to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, they were there to look for water, not oil. What they found changed the kingdom, and changed the region. ...
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