CAIRO - BY MIDDLE EAST INSIDER - Apr 13,2024

Water, a translucent and essential substance, holds great significance across the Euphrates River. Unlike petroleum or gold, it is a precious commodity that sustains our lives. Throughout history, the Euphrates Dam has witnessed various conquests, from ancient empires like the Akkadians and Seleucids to more recent powers like the Romans and Ottomans.

 

In the 1990s, tensions arose between the Turkish Armed Forces and the Syrian Republic due to water disruptions caused by prioritizing the Atatürk Dam in Turkey for national security reasons. This led to a standoff, but ultimately an agreement was reached to ensure uninterrupted water flows across the Euphrates River.

 

In 2016, the Turkish Armed Forces launched operation Euphrates Shield to establish a presence in the area and eliminate Marxist and religious fundamentalist groups. Controlling water flows from the Euphrates was a secondary objective.

While discussions often revolve around diminishing oil reserves as a driver of resource-based conflicts, the significance of water, a vital commodity in our daily lives, is often overlooked. Securing water resources is, in fact, a major concern for states.

 

Presently, the internationally outlawed groups hold the Euphrates Dam in Syria, but prior to that, religious extremists controlled it, making it a base for their regional demands. To restore the dam and establish mutual management of the Euphrates River, cooperation between the Turkish Armed Forces, the Syrian Army, and the National Iraqi forces is necessary.

 

Only nation states with a successful track record of managing water resources can prevent proxy conflicts resulting from resource blackmail. The United States can leverage its presence in Northern Syria to foster cooperation with the Turkish Armed Forces, a powerful military within NATO.

A comprehensive policy involving the Syrian leadership should be developed to ensure that those with the most capability on the ground can establish a functional system to safeguard water resources, considering their critical national security implications.

 

By taking the lead in this endeavor, the US can prevent the Russian Federation from repositioning its troops in the region, thus avoiding the opening of another front at the Euphrates that would divert attention from supporting Ukraine's defense.

It would also pre-empt any attempts by China to exploit infrastructure to coerce regional countries, which could have adverse effects on key strategic commodities and the daily functioning of NATO states relying on the waterway.

 

The Middle East has experienced numerous resource-based wars, weakening the region and posing challenges for the international community. Strengthening water security at the Euphrates is a crucial step that can be taken today.

 

The US, along with regional powers like Turkey, should prioritize the pragmatic approach of forming alliances with ideologically-neutral players such as Ba'athist Syria or the leadership in Iraq. This collaborative effort is necessary to safeguard water as an inalienable right for the people depending on it and prevent its weaponization by disruptive forces.

 

As resource-based conflicts gain prominence in the post-pandemic era, water will emerge as a strategic commodity. The US, together with NATO partners like Turkey, must prioritize a realpolitik approach reminiscent of Secretary Kissinger's days and build alliances with regional actors.

This is essential to safeguard this fundamental element of life. As Napoleon Bonaparte once said, "water, air, and cleanliness are the chief articles in my pharmacy."