For full bibliographic details on the readings listed below, see the Readings page.
Part I: Introduction and the Water Diplomacy Framework (WDF)
Week 1
Topics:
- Introduction: Review of the course objectives; student responsibilities, class structure, and grading policy.
- What is water diplomacy?
- Complexities of water resource allocation: Why are transboundary water allocation problems complex? What do we know about addressing complex problems in the public realm?
Readings:
- Islam and Susskind, “Using Complexity Science and Negotiation Theory”
- Huntjens and de Man, “Water Diplomacy: Making Water Cooperation Work”
- Susskind and Islam, “Water diplomacy: Creating Value and Building Trust”
Week 2
Topics:
- Water Diplomacy Framework (WDF): Introduction; stakeholder engagement; negotiation; benefit sharing; mutual gain
Readings:
- Islam and Susskind, Water Diplomacy chapters 1–8
Part II: Key Considerations
Week 3
Topics:
- Transboundary Water Conflicts and Cooperation: What advantages and disadvantages are there to referring to a water management effort as a “conflict” or an example of “cooperation”? Can we avoid conflicts over water? If so, how?
- Transboundary Cooperation: What factors lead to cooperation in the management of common pool resources (CPR)? What questions must be addressed to ensure effective transboundary water management?
- Water Security: What is security? How can water be secured? How can water diplomacy be useful in securing water resources?
Readings:
- Gleick, “Water and Conflict”
- Wolf, “Conflict and Cooperation along International Waterways”
- Cascão and Zeitoun, “Power, Hegemony and Critical Hydropolitics”
- Cook and Bakker, “Water Security”
- Gain, Giupponi, and Wada, “Measuring Global Water Security”
Recommended Skim:
- Spector, “Motivating Water Diplomacy”
Week 4
Topics:
- The Evolution of Water Management: How has the practice of water resource management evolved over time?
- Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM): What is adaptive management and how is it different than IWRM?
- The Water-Energy Food (WEF) Nexus: What is new in the WEF Nexus? Why it is important in water diplomacy?
- Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and IWRM: How are transboundary cooperation and conflict reflected in SDG targets? How should IWRM be implemented to increase the chances of achieving SDGs?
Readings:
- Global Water Partnership (GWP) and International Network of Basin Organizations (INBO), “A Handbook for Integrated Water Resources Management in Basins”
- Pahl-Wostl, “Transitions towards Adaptive Management”
- Benson, Gain, and Rouillard, “Water Governance in a Comparative Perspective”
- Biswas, “Integrated Water Resources Management: A Reassessment”
- Jianguo Liu et al., “Nexus Approaches to Global Sustainable Development”
- Junguo Liu et al., “Challenges in Operationalizing the Water–Energy–Food Nexus”
- Benson, Gain, and Giupponi, “Moving beyond Water Centricity?”
- McCracken and Meyer, “Monitoring of Transboundary Water Cooperation”
Due: Case study topic
Part III: Role-Play Simulation
Week 5
Activity: Play the Indopotamia Game
Due:
- First 1-page reflection on the Indopotamia Game
- Identify the two cases you will comment on
Part IV: Regional Case Studies
Week 6
Guest Lecture: The Nile River Case (Dr. Jasmin Zaerpoor)
Readings:
- BBC, “Damming the Nile in 360 Video,” episodes 1 and 2.
- 1959 Agreement on the Full Utilization of the Nile River.
Due: Second 1-page reflection on the Indopotamia Game
Week 7
Guest Lecture: The US-Mexico Water Case (Dr. Bruno Verdini Trejo)
Readings:
- Verdini Trejo, Winning Together
Week 8
Guest Lecture: The Indus/Jordan River Case (Prof. Shafiqul Islam)
Due: First draft of case study
Part V: Student Presentations
Week 9
Student Case Study Presentations
Week 10
Student Case Study Presentations
Week 11
Student Case Study Presentations
Week 12
Due: Final draft of case study
