Unequal distribution, geopolitical issue, but ultimately a paradox: “the only resource indispensable to life generates minor tensions, while unnecessary or even superfluous resources have been the cause of conflicts,” estimates Pierre-Alain Clément in his article “The Geopolitics of Water in the Middle East.” The Aron formula in its title “improbable war, impossible peace” thus opens the special issue of the bi-monthly magazine Middle East for February-March 2010 dedicated to “Water, Between Conflicts and Shortages.”
While from a “strictly physical point of view, the amount of water on earth is constant,” a certainty worth recalling in these times of climate strife, it is the “question of accessibility” rather than that of resources that draws attention. In order to better understand the stakes of this issue playing out on the Nile, between the Tigris and the Euphrates, or in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the magazine directed by Frank Tétart does not shy away from the educational use of maps and tables, complemented by an interview on desalination techniques with Patrice Fonlladosa, the President and CEO of Veolia Water Mena and head of Veolia Environment in this region of the world. At a time when this theme poisons international relations, the reader will also appreciate a fascinating reflection by Perla Srour-Gandon on the possible implementation of the “energy efficiency” concept in this area.
As usual, the bi-monthly magazine complements its central issue with a development – somewhat too politically sanitized – on the developments in Morocco, cautiously emphasizing its recent history rather than its future. The one on Afghanistan, penned by Francis Chanson and Hervé Pierre, two senior officers, is noticeably more captivating. The issue concludes with a brief comparative study of the status of women in the Maghreb, where special attention is given to Tunisia.
In the introduction, there is an exclusive interview with Elie Barnavi, former Israeli Ambassador to France and Emeritus Professor at Tel Aviv University, who shares his thoughts on the peace process in the Middle East. Among these, his thinking takes the form of a sentence mingled with regret: “Europe does not exist as a power on the international stage.”
