...Water Wars There can be no life on Earth without water. It is indispensable for human health and well-being, for food production, and economic activities. But despite its importance, water is rarely considered as a resource in the same way as others, for example oil. Water covers more than two thirds of our planet, so to many it may seem like there is more than enough, and in most parts of the world its availability is taken for granted. However, freshwater, what we drink, bath in, and irrigate our land with, is extremely scarce. Only around 3% of the world’s water is fresh water, and about two-thirds of that is contained by glaciers, rendering it not readily available for human use. Agriculture uses more water than any other source and wastes much of it due to inefficiencies. Today more than a billion people around the globe lack access to fresh water and many of the world’s water systems have become stressed. In addition, rivers, lakes, and aquifers are becoming too polluted to use, climate change is altering weather patterns, resulting in shortages, droughts and floods. The world’s population is rapidly increasing, and at the current consumption rate the situation will only get worse. So without improved and more effective management, the availability of fresh water will more than likely not keep up with demand. It is estimated that by 2025, two-thirds of the world’s population may face water shortages. Issues related to water scarcity can obstruct the ability of nations...
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...Middle East Water Shortage | | | ------------------------------------------------- Top of FormRate This Paper: 12345Bottom of Form Length: 1101 words (3.1 double-spaced pages) Rating: Red (FREE) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Due to geography and population growth, the Middle East nations are faced with a growing demand for a shrinking water supply. Throughout most of the Middle East region rainfall is irregular and the rainy season is very short. The World Bank reports that this area (including North Africa) has 5% of the world’s population, but only 1% of the world’s water. Droughts have been occurring more frequently and lasting longer, warning of a bleaker future. Man himself has not helped the situation. The rivers in the Middle East are being diverted, dammed, aquifers are being drained and polluted by pesticides and sea salt, and even marshes are drying up due to over-pumping. The countries that do have access to the precious few water sources do not conserve it, preserve it, nor can they agree on how to manage and share the water fairly. The need for water is not only for human consumption, but it is also vital in order to sustain agriculture. A nation that is unable to produce enough water and thus, food, for their own people is reliant on other nations to provide for them. This dependence can give rise to suspicion and conflict, which unsurprisingly has plagued this area of the world for centuries. The population...
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...planet seen by space; we sure do have a lot of blue water enough to satisfy our ever-growing population. But, what may be hidden from thought is our 7 billion human population: all requiring the access to clean, drinkable water. An Internet article written by Global Public Square staff found in a post by CNN’s Jason Miks discusses this issue, the war over water. The article begins with a study from NASA and the University of California Irvine; satellite imagery exposing the loss of 144 cubic kilometers of water in the Middle East. Global Public Square staff states, “We tend to think of the Middle East and its upheavals as defined by oil. Perhaps in the future it will be defined by water.” Earth may be a blue water planet from space but up close... and through the use of satellite imagery we see that Earth does not have an infinite amount of water and the more we continue to draw upon our source of it the less we have of it in our foreseeable future. We have evidence to prove this is a problem of hear and now; The Pacific institute states “225 conflicts” sprouting over the ownership of water and half of them throughout the two last decades. A major role in these conflicts are the very 7 billion population all needing the same thing. Our resources are dwindling and with The United Nations forecasting 9 billion people by 2050, the situation isn’t going to get any relief. Already 3 million people die a year from this lack of water, and the problem may stem from the lack of care we...
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...International Security The future of nation-state as the primary unit of action for world affairs can generally be said to be insecure. This may be mostly due to the increasingly world interconnection and also the move from a society monarchy to a communal one. The idea of globalisation has really intensified the interconnection globally which will lead to the world been interconnected to institutions of economics, politics and society. The challenges posed to nation-state by globalisation include; first, it reduces the ability of nation-state in influencing the economy in that all economic transactions are done in the global stage. Second it increases the transnational bodies which could be political, economic or combination of both. The third aspect is it allows for emergence of super and sub national power centres. Finally, there is the increasing world migrations and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) importance. The insecurity of the nation state has great impact on the US foreign and security policies. There are various ways in which this is affecting the US foreign and security policies; through the introduction of the globalisation system the US policies will be undermined and thus negatively impacting on its security. The United States will also lose its control in the international economy a factor which will lea to other countries undermining its policies. This gradual decline will also widen the scope of security and stability and hence nations will be able...
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...5/8/2014 Israeli–Palestinian conflict - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Israeli–Palestinian conflict From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Israeli–Palestinian conflict (Arabic: اﻟﻨﺰاع اﻟﻔﻠﺴﻄﯿﻨﻲ - اﻹﺳﺮاﺋﯿﻠﻲ al-Niza'a al'Filastini al 'Israili; Hebrew: הסכסוך הישראלי-פלסטיני Ha'Sikhsukh Ha'YisraeliFalestini) is the ongoing struggle between Israelis and Palestinians that began in the mid-20th century.[1] The conflict is wide-ranging, and the term is sometimes also used in reference to the earlier sectarian conflict in Mandatory Palestine, between the Zionist yishuv and the Arab population under British rule. The Israeli–Palestinian conflict has formed the core part of the wider Arab–Israeli conflict. It has widely been referred to as the world's "most intractable conflict".[3][4][5] Despite a long-term peace process and the general reconciliation of Israel with Egypt and Jordan, Israelis and Palestinians have failed to reach a final peace agreement. The remaining key issues are: mutual recognition, borders, security, water rights, control of Jerusalem, Israeli settlements,[6] Palestinian freedom of movement,[7] and resolving Palestinian claims of a right of return for their refugees. The violence of the conflict, in a region rich in sites of historic, cultural and religious interest worldwide, has been the object of numerous international conferences dealing with historic rights, security issues and human rights, and has been a factor hampering tourism in and...
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...WMD proliferation, Instability in the MiddleEast, Oil supply uncertainty) Of all the political risks covered, the Iraq/Middle East threat has the greatest likelihood of triggering the other major threats. Thus, the worsening of the Iraq/Middle East situation poses the gravest threat to the growth and stability of the world economy. If the situation in Iraq further deteriorates, the threat of sectarian violence spreading in the region increases and instability results. By this threat alone, this is a serious risk. However, the chain of events it could trigger is more significant. *Increasing incentives to join terrorism The conflict in Iraq and the Middle East, where civilian lives were lost and impoverished makes it easier for terrorist groups to attract new recruits. Destruction of lives and property, as well as the resulting chaos could popularize anti-US/Western sentiment. Also, joining terrorist groups could also be an escape from the difficulty of surviving in the ongoing chaos. The threat of this new wave of terrorist activities could result in a more unsecure world, where asymmetric warfare could break out in different regions. *Worsening oil supply uncertainty As the Middle East region accounts for more than half of the world’s oil reserves, with Saudi Arabia alone accounting for 25%, the effect of an unstable Middle East directly leads to a more uncertain oil supply for the world. Over the recent years, the number of attacks on oil-producing infrastructure...
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...The Middle East Conflict Wynell Henry University of Phoenix Com 156 November 24, 2013 The real differences around the world today are not between Jews and Arabs; Protestants and Catholics; Muslims, Croats, and Serbs. The real differences are between those who embrace peace and those who would destroy it; between those who look to the future and those who cling to the past; between those who open their arms and those who are determined to clench their fists (William J. Clinton, 2013). Even though people who live in Palestine/Turkey/Syria area between1988 - 2013 have been in a state of war, peace will soon come. The Middle East is at constant war, peace will not come soon enough if rules don’t apply to self-government. In the 1800’s Europe wanted to colonize Palestine land know as Zionists. The majority of the population was Jewish, which they wanted to create a Jewish homeland. This did not create a conflict until more Zionist immigrants population increased and talks of them taking over the Jewish land. The conflict in Palestine grew when Germany leader Adolf Hitler combined with Zionist engagements to disrupt efforts to reside Jewish refugees in western countries. The Zionists armies outnumbered the Arab and the Palestine army combined, and they fought on Palestine land. At the end of the war, Israel had taken over seventy-eight percent of the Palestine’s land; this is what has led up to the current conflict today. Muslims and Christians are unable to...
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...Spring in Syria As the Arab Spring developed throughout the Middle East in early 2010, countries such as Tunisia and Egypt adopted peaceful solutions to transition from authoritative governments to democratic inspired political systems. In Syria, the situation was different, the country unraveled into chaos as groups sought to gain power over each other in an attempt to oust Bashar Al Assad’s 70 year old regime. What happened was four years of warfare without end in sight, and 6.5 million Syrian refugees seeking asylum outside of Syria. Compared to the whole of the Middle East, Syria as a country tends to be one of the most diverse in the region. Syria has numerous sects of Islam, Christians, Jews, and foreign religions in an area the size of Ohio. It also has the Kurds in the North who consider themselves outside of the Arab-centric culture. When Hafez Al Assad took power in the early 1970’s, he adopted a nationalistic view as his minority group would be contested by the majority Sunni population (theatlantic.com). Prior to adopting that policy, the Baath party was ruled by Gamal Abdel Nasser who united Egypt and Syria as part of the United Arab Republic. Nationalism took effect throughout the Middle East as the Ottoman Empire, Britain, and France started to lose its grasp over the region. Nationalism was a way to unite a divided people against a common foe. After realizing the dream of a united Middle East was not achievable in the minds of most Arabs, Syria detached itself...
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...options 4 3.1 Desalination 4 3.2 Natural Water Resources 4 4. Requirements 4 4.1 Cost 4 4.2 Social effects 4 4.3 Environment effects 5 5. Compare of two options 5 5.1 Water Desalination 5 5.2 Natural Water Resources 8 6. Conclusions 9 7. Recommendations 9 8. References 10 1. Introduction Clean drinking water and sanitation were recognized as indispensable human right in United Nations General Assembly (2010, retrieved March, 2013). According to Robert Zoellick (2011), President of The World Bank, water is at the center of almost any poverty in the world so clean water is always the heart of sustainable development plan in any country. As a result of increasing pollution and inadequate distribution of natural resources, many countries in the Middle East are now facing serious water crisis (Hamad Bu-rahamah, 2005) According to the United Nation (retrieved March 2013), if there are not any significant improvements, by the year 2025, Jordan and other countries in the Middle East will confront ‘water war’ due to absolute water scarcity In this rough situation, the Jordanian government pointed out that using natural water resource and water desalination are the only solutions for water crisis now (BBC News, 2009). Specifically, by going along with the Jordan River and the Dead Sea on the West, and also borders with the Red Sea in the South, desalination seems to be a possible solution for water scarcity in Jordan. Another option which has...
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...Water and wind were used as mill-based energy sources. The millers obtained skill in the equipment and the design. The waterpower eventually came to be used on industries in Europe instead of milling grain. Europe’s conversion to milling had extreme impacts to their culture and didn’t affect MENA that much. During the end of the 19th century cities in Morocco had many horse mills but only some watermills. The mills in MENA were operated by animals. Commercialization altered the milling role around the 18th century and it enforced new duties for example cleaning up the grain, bolting the food, and blending up the flour. The miller also had to let his assistants to do more of the physical work and he had to be more of a business person. It was not uncommon for a miller to do some farming and many millers were also baker in a bakery. The millers...
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...networks: canals brought water from river to field, drainage ditches carried water back to river, partial dams raised water level of river, and dikes protected against floods. States: Building, Expansion, Conflict Conquest gave some Mesopotamian city-states access to vital resources. Trade offered an alternative and long-distance commerce flourished. Social Structures: Development and Transformation The Law Code of Hammurabi, a Babylonian law code, reflects social divisions. It identifies three classes- 1) free land-owning class (royals, high-ranking officers, etc.) 2) dependent farmers and artisans 3) slaves employed for domestic service. The lower orders received the most severe punishments. Slaves were made out of POW. Cultures: Development and Interaction Ziggurats, a multistory, mud-brick, pyramid-shaped tower was built, yet scholars still wonder its function and symbolic meaning. Economic Systems: Creation, Expansion, Interaction Evidence of seagoing vessels that carried wood, metals, stone from foreign lands were exchanged with wool. cloth, barley, and vegetable oil. This trade helped boom the economy of Mesopotamia and other nearby countries such as Lebannon, Syria, Egypt, and Anatolia. Unit 2 600 BCE-600 CE Cultures: Development and Interaction The Parthians, a people originally from east of the Caspian Sea, had their threshold of Central Asia and shared customs with the steppe nomads farther to the east which helped foster the Silk...
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...of the war resulted in the destruction of the empires, particularly the Ottoman Empire and Austria-Hungary Empire. The dissolution of the Ottoman Empire allowed many Middle East countries to be self-governed, while the West such as Great Britain and France had more interest in Europe than in the Middle East enabled the former to play a dominant role of colonization in the region. This seeded confrontation between two different civilizations, resulting in chaos later and to a large extent helping shape the Middle East in today's world. This paper attempts to examine this history arguing how the Ottoman Empire declined and eventually dissolved at the end of WWI. It shows that the internal problems of the Empire, such as its backward political and economic system, failed to compete with the increasing influence of the Western European countries, whose government was more efficient and more industrialized than the former, in the Middle East. The paper starts with a discussion of the contemporary situation in the Empire, and then deals with the problems that led to the conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and the European powers over the Middle East during WWI. It finally analyzes how the defeat of the Ottomans and the increasing British and French dominance in the Middle East laid the ground for today's conflicts in the region between the Arabic states and the Jewish nation, which is supported by the West. Since 1600s the Ottoman Empire had controlled a large territory extended...
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...POL 441: Arab-Israeli-Conflict Tuesday November 29, 2005 The Battle Over the Golan: Israeli Perspective The Golan Heights, seized by Israel from Syria in the closing stages of the Six Day War (June 5-10, 1967) and then again during the surprise attacks of the Yom Kippur War of October 1973, has held not only political and strategic significance but historical importance as well. Overlooking northern Israel and southern Syria, the Golan, annexed in 1981, has given Israel an excellent vantage point for monitoring Syrian movements with a topography that provides a natural buffer against any military thrust from Syria. The Golan Heights embraces 1,250 square kilometers (500 square miles) and borders southern Lebanon, northeast Israel and northwest Jordan. Its elevations range from 2,000 meters (6,600 feet) in the north to below sea level along the Sea of Galilee (Lake Tiberias) and the Yarmuk River in the south. (Wikepedia) Israel may be willing to return some of the Golan but wants to retain the 1920 border drawn during the French Mandate of Syria and the British Mandate of Palestine following World War I. Syria asserts the Heights are part of the governorate of Al Qunaytirah, and the international community considers they are to be a part of the Israeli-occupied territories. (BBC News) The military importance of the Golan Heights has increased during recent years mainly due to the introduction of ballistic missiles and technologies...
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...Omar Hamada 900141417 Social Problems in the Middle East Dr. Nazek Nosseir Research Paper What Are The Real Reasons Behind Poverty In The Middle East? "Poverty: The state of being extremely poor" by Oxford Dictionaries Introduction With the recent revolutions in the Middle East demanding word and social justice, and the high levels of unemployment in the region. The Middle East is still suffering from a high poverty rating, and a huge wage gap between the social classes. Rich people literally are getting richer while the poor are facing more problems and disasters as time goes by. Many questions remain unanswered: What are the reasons behind poverty in the Middle East? Why do rich people get richer while the poor get poorer? How do the rich people benefit from the current situation? How laws are fixed to protect only the rich? Are governments involved in these acts? Poverty rate in MENA has been slightly declining since 1990 to 2005, 17 percent of the region's population live below $2/day in 2005. The region faces various challenges in poverty reduction, such as the persistency of poverty, as poverty in this region is impacted by a hasty economic growth, which is above 2 percent per capita. This is a result of the nature of poverty, which is concentrated on groups that benefit the last ones from that economic growth: the uneducated, rural residents, families with a lot of members. Another challenge the region is facing is the increasing inequality, which is increasing...
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...Have nuclear weapons reduced the number of worldwide conflicts? The correlation between nuclear weapons and world stability has been a controversial topic and the subject of heated discussions in recent years – there is a growing widespread belief that nuclear weapons create a more secure world by preventing hostilities from escalating. However, while nuclear weapons certainly do bring positive aspects, there is a good amount of evidence to suggest that they might not discourage but actually increase armed conflicts. This report will go over the benefits and downsides of nuclear weapons, and will examine specific examples in order to determine whether they have had a positive or negative effect in the number of worldwide-armed conflicts. Nuclear weapons were first created in the form of a bomb, during World War 2. They were the product of extensive research, known as the Manhattan Project, funded by the United States government and under the direction of J. Robert Oppenheimer and the military supervision of General Leslie Groves. Created by means of atomic fusion and fission, they were intended to give the US the upper hand in the war and mark the beginning of American hegemony in the world. The atomic bomb was tested on July 16, 1945 at Trinity site, in New Mexico. After a successful explosion, the bomb was ready to use against Japan and end the war in the Pacific. Officials agreed the attack had to be powerful and shocking so the world would see the United States was in control;...
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