Article Published by WRRC Associate Focuses on Hydrodiplomacy
Those who follow international water topics may be interested in a new publication by Dr. Pintu Kumar Mahla, a U of A Designated Campus Colleague conducting research at the WRRC. His recent paper, published in the e-journal Janus.net, is titled “Hydro-Diplomacy as a Strategic Lever: Comparative Insights from India and China in Regional Cooperation and Global Water Governance.”
The article notes that emerging powers are increasingly utilizing hydrodiplomacy to promote cooperation within their own regions and to influence global water governance. In the Brahmaputra River Basin, India focuses on fair and cooperative water-sharing systems and ways to settle disputes in South Asia. On the other hand, China uses its position upstream to shape regional policies in line with its larger geopolitical goals. Tools like water-event intensity scales and long-term conflict forecasting can help improve understanding of how hydrodiplomacy functions as a key component of the foreign policy of emerging powers and how it may alter the dynamics in the region and globally.