| This dissertation examines why states in some water scarce regions of the world are able to cooperate over shared fresh water resources while states in other such regions are continually entangled in political tension and violent conflict. My analysis is based on empirical material from five international river basins-Senegal River, Amu Darya River, Jordan River, Euphrates River, and the Nile River---that are located in three regions of the world---West Africa, Central Asia, and the Middle East. I argue that transnational issue networks play significant roles in fostering interstate cooperation over international rivers in water scarce regions of the world.; I define transnational issue networks as international links or channels of communication among political, socio-economic, civic, and epistemic actors who are bound by shared values and dense exchanges of information and services pertaining to a specific issue. The main actors in transnational issue networks are indigenous experts on a given issue, intergovernmental organizations, and international and domestic nongovernmental organizations. A combination of neoliberal institutionalism and constructivism provides the theoretical foundation for explaining the influence of transnational issue networks on interstate cooperation.; I contend that transnational issue networks foster interstate cooperation over an international river by building state consensus around issues that foster a basin-wide approach to managing the river. The 'issues' around which interstate consensus is built include sharing hydrological data, abiding by the principles of international law, and subscribing to intra-basin institution building. Consensus over the three issues is achieved in three main ways: (1) informing and educating indigenous experts on hydrological issues, (2) conditioning technical and economic assistance upon levels of cooperation, and (3) coordinating state interests in order to negotiate and monitor agreements. |
