International Journal of Political Science and Development
 

International Journal of Political Science and Development

Vol. 3(2), pp. 101–107, February, 2015.  

DOI: 10.14662/IJPSD2015.011

ISSN: 2360-784X

Research Paper

An attempt is made to examine the ongoing political and economic changes in the upstream countries (as well as in Sudan) and on how these dynamics might affect and challenge both the regional balance of power and the ongoing issue of hydro politics among the riparian states in the Nile basin region. Nile basin is one of hot-spots where violent conflict could break out over the shared water recourses because of various hydro political intricacies that it involves. The intricacies that may lead to conflict include: inequitable use of water resources, interstate relations that are based on suspicion and misunderstanding, and unilateral appropriation of the Nile waters. Using its hegemonic power acquired for centuries and the myth of Herodotus, Egypt took the monopoly of the Nile issue. Thus, until very recently, in equitable distribution of water resources has been prevalent among the Nile basin countries. The article tried to analyze the correlation between the shifts in power relations in the Nile basin which started a decade ago. It is indicated that these power changes have led to the development of a new kind of relationship in which “no war, no peace “system is preferred by the two riparian states, Egypt and Ethiopia. Avenues and deriving forces for hydro political reform, such as the Nile Basin Initiative, and the role of China and other donors or investors are not to be unnoticed. In the contemporary era, one important phenomena that has changed the Nile hydro politics is the emergence of China, a new external trading partner to several of the Nile riparian states and a country unencumbered with international water and environmental regulations in its financing approach, has brought not only new opportunities for dam construction in the Nile basin region but also new challenges for hydro political relations.

Key words: Riparian States, China, Nile river basin, Egypt, Power Shift, Ethiopia

 

Cite This Article As: Yimer M (2015). THE NILE HYDRO POLITICS; A HISTORIC POWER SHIFT. Inter. J. Polit. Sci. Develop. 3(2): 101-107.

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