Dr Andrea Haefner, an Adjunct Research Fellow of the Griffith Asia Institute, recently published a book focusing on transboundary river basins in Southeast Asia, Europe and Latin America. Negotiating for Water Resources explores the drivers of conflict and cooperation between states in transnational river basins. Drawing on extensive fieldwork and interviews on the Mekong, Danube and La Plata River Basins, the book provides a three level analysis across three case studies, including the regional framework (EU, ASEAN and Mercosur), the River Basin Organisations (ICPDR, MRC and CIC) and the micro-level. The key question of the book is: To what extent do power asymmetries prevent or inhibit cooperation between riparian states over water resources? This is linked to the question of how institutions contribute to mitigate competition for natural resources and how states interact in a multilateral arena. Overall, the book argues that cooperation in transboundary river basins is possible even where there are asymmetric power relations, challenging realist assumptions about competition and conflict over resources.
Read more information about the “Negotiating for water resources – bridging transboundary river basins” book by Dr. Andrea Haefner, Adjunct Research Fellow, Griffith Asia Institute.
