Contested waters : understanding the hydropolitical underpinnings of governing Areas of Limited Statehood within the context of the Syrian Civil War

Abstract

This dissertation explores the complex mechanisms of water governance in the context of the Syrian Civil War, a conflict marked by the fragmentation of centralised state authority and the emergence of competing centres of power. The empirical section of this dissertation is trained on three key actors – the Syrian Regime, the Islamic State (ISIS), and the Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES or Self-Administration) – and how they manipulated and managed water resources within this fractured political landscape. By synthesising literature within the fields of hydropolitics and governance in Areas of Limited Statehood, this research examines the varied hydropolitical strategies these actors employed to assert territorial control and to preserve and prolong their systems of governance. This dissertation deploys detailed case studies and comprehensive qualitative analysis, including interviews with key stakeholders, to analyse the Syrian state shell in which water governance is entangled with efforts to coercively or co-optively acquire territory, legitimise authority, mobilise support, and compete or collaborate with opposing forces, providing deep insights into the broader implications of water management in conflict zones. This dissertation not only contributes to our understanding of the Syrian Civil War's hydropolitical landscape and its governance structures but also contributes a novel synthetic conceptual framework for studying hydropolitics in similarly fragmented geopolitical contexts. This research is pivotal, given the increasing value of water amidst rising incidents of scarcity due to climate change and anthropogenic pressures, especially in conflict contexts where governance structures are often disrupted or transformed.