Sovereignty, Border Securitization, and Transboundary Water Disputes: Assessing the Geopolitics of the Jordan River Basin

Global Journal of Peace and Conflict Studies | Vol. 9, No. 11, November 2018 | pp. 982–990

DOI: 10.46882/2018/GJPCS/091101

Article Type: Original Research Paper

Title: Sovereignty, Border Securitization, and Transboundary Water Disputes: Assessing the Geopolitics of the Jordan River Basin

Authors: Tariq H. Al-Sabahi¹, Farzad R. Rahimi²

Authors’ Affiliations: ¹Department of Political Science, University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan; ²Department of Middle Eastern Studies, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

Abstract:
The distribution of scarce transboundary water resources remains a primary driver of geopolitical tension and border securitization across the arid Jordan River Basin. This paper examines how shifting national sovereignty paradigms and rapid climate degradation altered water allocation negotiations between riparian states up to late 2017. Utilizing a hydropolitical game theory model integrated with remote sensing water volume data, we simulate the long-term regional impacts of unilateral upstream dam constructions. Our empirical findings demonstrate that uncoordinated water extraction policies have reduced lower Jordan River downstream flows by 62%, drastically increasing soil salinity and disrupting local agricultural sustainability. The regression analysis establishes that a lack of enforceable multilateral water-sharing protocols leaves downstream communities highly vulnerable to chronic resource scarcity, raising the statistical probability of localized border skirmishes by 48%. The article argues that mitigating transboundary resource conflicts requires moving away from zero-sum sovereign water claims toward an institutionalized regional framework that treats water desalination and ecological preservation as shared transboundary assets.

Keywords: Water Disputes; Jordan River Basin; Hydropolitics; Border Securitization; Resource Scarcity; Climate Degradation

Manuscript Timeline: Received: May 12, 2018; Revised: July 02, 2018; Accepted: July 20, 2018; Published: November 15, 2018

Citation: Al-Sabahi, T. H., & Rahimi, R. R. (2018). Sovereignty, Border Securitization, and Transboundary Water Disputes: Assessing the Geopolitics of the Jordan River Basin. Global Journal of Peace and Conflict Studies, 9(11), 982–990. DOI: 10.46882/2018/GJPCS/091101

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