Water is essential for all aspects of life. Managing water is a challenging task, particularly in shared water basins that host more than half of the world's population. This book explores threats and opportunities through the presentation of case studies that analyze the multi-faceted and dynamic nature of the interplay between domestic and international water security. A range of past, on-going and emerging international water disputes from the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Europe are examined (India/Pakistan; Lesotho; Danube; China; Cambodia; Mekong; Lake Chad; Sudan/Nile; Thailand/Burma/Salween; Aral Sea; Euphrates-Tigris; Okavango). Well-known cases are revisited from new perspectives while new approaches are suggested as analytical frameworks and practical tools for understanding and coping with emerging security threats.--Publisher's description.

Introduction : from domestic to international water security / Libor Jansky, Mikiyasu Nakayama and Nevelina I. Pachova -- Pt. I. Treaties and institutions. The Indus water dispute and its relation with domestic policies / Shuntaro Yamamoto -- Domestic issues in developing international waters in Lesotho : ensuring water security amidst political instability / Naho Mirumachi -- Domestic drivers of international water security on the Danube / Nevelina I. Pachova and Libor Jansky -- Transboundary cooperation vs. internal ambitions : the role of China and Cambodia in the Mekong region / Marko Keskinen, Katri Mehtonen and Olli Varis -- The role of domestic security in the functioning of the Lake Chad Basin Commission / Virpi Stucki and Madiodio Niasse -- Pt. II. Emerging security threats. People's encroachment onto Sudan's Nile banks and its impact on Egypt / Mahmoud El Zain -- Inter-basin water transfers as a technico-political option : Thai-Burmese projects on the Salween River / Bastien Affeltranger -- The implications of domestic security policy for international water issues in the context of "virtual" and "real" water : the Aral Sea and Mekong River basins / Mikiyasu Nakayama -- Pt. III. Opportunities for cooperation. Water governance of the Mekong River Basin and Chinese national problems / Kayo Onishi -- Transboundary water issues in the Euphrates-Tigris River Basin : some methodological approaches and opportunities for cooperation / Aysegul Kibaroglu, Anthi D. Brouma and Mete Erdem -- The politics of security in the Okavango River Basin : from civil war to saving wetlands (1975-2002) : a preliminary security impact assessment / Jeroen F. Warner and Richard Meissner -- Pt. IV. Conclusions. National sovereignty and human security : changing realities and concepts in international water management / Nevelina I. Pachova, Mikiyasu Nakayama and Libor Jansky.