Water: US Strategic Response to Conflicts Over a Finite Resource

Useable water is a limited commodity needed to sustain life. Nations throughout history have threatened the use of force on each other over access, quality and the quantities drawn from shrinking available sources. Many current publications argue future wars will result not from access to oil, but from disagreements on finite water resources. However, despite the rhetoric, few if any conflicts can be considered the sole reason for nations to have gone to war over. Water access may be a contributing factor but not the definitive reason for conflict to arise. In fact, many riparian nations have improved relations due to their mutual dependency on useable fresh water. The Unites States should develop a proactive strategy to enhance its role in forging partnerships and agreements between nations on access to fresh useable water. This would grant the US positive soft power influence in many turbulent regions of the world. The upcoming National Security Strategy should include the characteristics of potential water-based conflicts and how the US can leverage its abilities to resolve such concerns as well as use the situation as a springboard for settling larger security issues.