Water Wars

Water is a strategic commodity and a critical aspect of national security.  While significant emphasis is often placed on energy and food production and reserves when planning for national security, in many regions of the world the importance of water is being "re"-recognized.  This is a significant development because the tensions that arise over water could potentially be more damaging to economies and more difficult to resolve that many resource related conflicts.  In many ways, water is a non-negotiable commodity.

Attention has perhaps increased on water because population is increasing in water scarce areas of the world such as the Middle East, Central Asia, and the Southwestern United States.  In addition to population increases, agricultural technologies and the general ability of human settlements to expand in arid areas is also increasing, increasing the water consumption.  We are also nearing the end of the golden years of modern agriculture.  The technologies that allowed for vast irrigation have begun to max out the resource usage and returns are diminishing with each year.

This situation makes society do more with less.  In areas where the governmental structure is more or less uniform, there is reasonable hope that the stakeholders will sit down and come to an amiable solution of some sort.  However, the uniform system of government exists no where.  Even in California, laws have area so divided that there are nearly 150 separate types of districts that have some authority to control water.  Each has a different purpose and serves a different group.  In places such as the Middle East and the Israel-Palestine conflict, there is very little incentive for either side to budge.  The jurisdictions and the constituents are different.