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ABSTRACT

Principles for Confidence-Building Measures in the Jordan River Watershed

Aaron T. Wolf
Department of Geography, University of Alabama

This paper summarizes the hydropolitical conflicts between the riparians of the Jordan River watershed, evaluates methods for achieving equity in water-right claims and provides some options for water projects to be developed in cooperation-inducing stages, as political developments allow.

The first section surveys the current hydropolitical positions of the co-riparians as well as many of the technical and policy options which have been proposed both to increase water supply and to decrease water demand in the region. These technical and policy options are organized in a four-step process for development, depending on the technical and political feasibility of each.

The second section borrows from 'dispute system design', a comparatively recent sub-field of Alternative Dispute Resolution, to describe how water projects may be implemented in cooperation-inducing stages. Examples of 'cooperation-inducing implementation' are provided for a possible method of agreement over existing water resources and for Palestinian-Israeli cooperation over the Mountain Aquifer to be developed step-wise, as political developments allow, with greater benefits accruing with greater regional cooperation.

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