Papers by Aysegul Onat Kibaroglu
UNESCO, 2015
Turkey is the third riparian of the Orontes and an important player in the hydro- diplomacy of th... more Turkey is the third riparian of the Orontes and an important player in the hydro- diplomacy of the region. The chapter will basically aim at understanding, explaining and analyzing the foreign policy orientation of Turkey in the transboundary waters context: hydropolitical history of the basin will be discussed by presenting the Turkish-Syrian interactions, claims views over the waters of the Orontes, considering also a gender perspective. The cooperation initiatives undertaken in the last decade as well as any emerging opportunities will be presented.
Alternatif Politika, 2017
Bu makalede, çevresel güvenlik kavramının bir alt araştırma alanı olarak iklim güvenliği kavramı ... more Bu makalede, çevresel güvenlik kavramının bir alt araştırma alanı olarak iklim güvenliği kavramı ele alınıp, bu kavramın Türkiye iklim politikasındaki yeri irdelenmektedir. Bu amaçla, makalenin ilk bölümünde "çevresel güvenlik" kavramının literatürdeki gelişimi ele alınmaktadır. Sonrasında, çevresel güvenlik kavramının alt araştırma alanı olan "iklim güvenliği" söylemini değerlendirilmektedir. İklim güvenliği kavramı Birleşmiş Milletler, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri ve Avrupa Birliği'nin tutum ve söyleminden örneklerle açıklanmaktadır. Makalenin gelişme bölümünde ise iklim güvenliği söyleminin Türkiye'nin iklim politikasındaki yeri araştırılmaktadır. İklim güvenliği söyleminin Çevre ve Şehircilik Bakanlığı'nın resmî belgelerinde, Türkiye'nin BM Güvenlik Konseyi'nde yaptığı konuşmalarda ve Türkiye'nin iki önemli gazetesinde çıkan haberlerdeki kullanılışı sözel içerik analizi metodu kullanılarak analiz edilmektedir.
Academic Journals, Jan 23, 2012
The purpose of this study was to compare technical recommendations for water supply projects for ... more The purpose of this study was to compare technical recommendations for water supply projects for the city of Ankara, Turkey with institutional decisions that led to a water supply crisis during a drought in August, 2007. The authors provide an evaluation of government institutions responsible for planning and provision of Ankara's water supply and treatment, and an analysis and comparison of the "1995 Master Plan Report on Ankara Water Supply Project" commissioned by Turkey's General Directorate of State Hydraulic Works (DSI) and assigned to Japan's Pacific Consultants International Group. The comparison reveals that Ankara's water authorities did not heed to the advice of technical recommendations. Such planning failures led to a delay in necessary project implementation to prevent water shortages in the case of drought, uneconomical and unsustainable water pipeline transmission routes, and a loss of public trust in the authorities. Moreover, concerns and criticisms of civil society organizations were not taken into account by the water authorities in a constructive manner. Lack of dialogue and consultation among the stakeholders exacerbated the crisis and prevented opportunities to reach participative and democratic management and use of limited water resource in the city. As Ankara's urban population is rapidly increasing so will the potable and industrial water needs. Streamlining the way in which the city manages water will be necessary to ensure a sustainable water future.
Global Governance: A Review of Multilateralism and International Organizations, 2013
ABSTRACT Transboundary water politics in the Euphrates-Tigris river system have evolved with comp... more ABSTRACT Transboundary water politics in the Euphrates-Tigris river system have evolved with competitive power dynamics and cooperative institutional development. We analyze the evolution of transboundary water relations over four consecutive periods. The first period coincided with nation building in the region, when the riparian states focused on their domestic need for socioeconomic development rather than the formulation of external water policies. The second period saw the advent of competitive trans-boundary water politics shaped by the initiation of uncoordinated, large-scale water development projects. The third period was the most complex, given the link between transboundary water issues and nonriparian security issues. In the fourth period, the role of water bureaucracies in the reorientation of water policies from hostile to cooperative became significant. Even in the midst of the very recent political crisis between Turkey and Syria, partial institutionalization of water cooperation and growing networks of water dialogue at both the governmental and non-governmental levels should continue to serve as open channels for easing the tensions. Turkey, Syria, and Iraq. 1 Water disputes among them originated with moves in the 1960s by each of them toward large-scale water development projects. The initial aim of the projects was flow regulation designed to end the alteration of flooding and droughts. But ambitions in each country quickly grew to include hydropower generation and sharp increases in the use of river water for drinking and irrigation. Unilateral and uncoordinated water development projects by each party began to stress the river system's capacity. As the demand for water exceeded supply, water authorities in each country finally began reaching out to their counterparts in the others and they developed rather ad hoc processes of discussion and negotiation. Unfortunately, above the level of the water bureaucrats, political rivalries stemming from conflicting national positions within the Cold War framework prevented any fruitful cooperation from taking root. Turkey's NATO membership and Syria and Iraq's ties to the Soviet Union did more 279
Journal of International Affairs, Mar 22, 2008
The Euphrates-Tigris region has faced significant political changes since the late 1990s. These c... more The Euphrates-Tigris region has faced significant political changes since the late 1990s. These changes can be attributed to improvements in bilateral relations, mainly in the security domain, between two of its major riparians, Turkey and Syria. In the meantime, another major riparian, Iraq, has lived through devastating war and occupation, which has had implications for regional water issues. These changes have brought new actors, involved or interested in the hydropolitics of the two-river basin, to the region. This article will analyze the politics of water resources in the Euphrates-Tigris River basin, focusing on current developments. But first, an overview of past events is deemed necessary to evaluate, in the proper context, the current situation in the basin. Historical research has traced the opportunities for more interactions in the river basin with broader aims for socioeconomic development, in addition to the limited goal of watersharing. In this respect, one significant development in the region is the Euphrates-Tigris Initiative for Cooperation (ETIC) established in May 2005 by a group of scholars and professionals from the three major riparian countries, (1) The overall goal of the initiative is to promote cooperation among the three riparians to achieve technical, social and economic development in the Euphrates-Tigris River basin. The composition and the role of ETIC remarkably fits the epistemic community theory and its role in institutional bargaining. Epistemic communities are a "network of professionals with recognized expertise and competence in a particular domain and an authoritative claim to policy-relevant knowledge within that domain or issue-area." (2) This article will introduce the origin, objectives and activities of ETIC within the epistemic community theory with particular references to new areas of cooperation in the basin. EUPHRATES-TIGRIS RIVERS SYSTEM: POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY The Euphrates-Tigris River basin comprises Iraq, Syria and Turkey as the major riparians. (3) The two greatest rivers of southwest Asia, the Euphrates and the Tigris, originate in a particular topographic and climatic zone and end up in quite a different one. The basin is characterized by high mountains to the north and to the west, and extensive lowlands in the south and in the east. The two rivers begin, scarcely 30 kilometers from each other, in a relatively cool and humid zone with rugged 3,000 meter-high mountains, and are visited by autumn and spring rains and winter snows. From there, the two rivers run separately onto a wide, flat, hot and poorly drained plain. In their middle courses, they diverge hundreds of kilometers apart, yet meet again near the end of their journey in the Shatt al-Arab, and discharge together into the Persian Gulf. The great alluvium-filled depression, Shatt al-Arab, and the combined area of the lakes and swamps have a length of 180 kilometers and constitute the combined delta of the Euphrates-Tigris River basin. (4) We observe, in conformity with the expert judgments of geographers, that the Euphrates and the Tigris rivers are considered to form one single transboundary watercourse system. (5) They are linked not only by their natural course when merging at the Shatt-al-Arab, but also as a result of the man-made Tharthar Canal connection between the two rivers in Iraq. (6) In the upstream region, the Euphrates and Tigris pass through a Mediterranean subtropical climate characterized by rainy winters and dry, warm summers. This climate prevails in southeastern Turkey, as well as in northern Syria and Iraq. However, the two rivers flow through semi-arid and arid regions within Syria and Iraq, since 60 percent of the Syrian territory receives less than 250 millimeters of precipitation while 70 percent of Iraq is subject to 400 millimeters per year. Another important climatic feature in the Euphrates-Tigris River basin is the high temperature resulting in high evaporation. …
Water International, 2015
The interlinkage between water, energy and food security and its transboundary relevance is becom... more The interlinkage between water, energy and food security and its transboundary relevance is becoming increasingly important. The paper analyses the evolution of transboundary water resources management in the Euphrates–Tigris basin with specific reference to interlinkages between water, food and energy policies at national and transboundary levels, and it explores how the policy shifts at the highest decision-making level have served to produce synergies for cooperation among the riparians or vice versa.
Understanding People and Place, 2014
Water International, 2014
This article analyzes Turkey's transboundary water policy by examining its institutional framewor... more This article analyzes Turkey's transboundary water policy by examining its institutional framework and basic principles. It explores the reasons why Turkey voted against the UN Watercourses Convention. Turkey's harmonization with the water law of the European Union is also scrutinized with an aim to assess its implications for transboundary water policy making. Turkish water diplomacy faces new challenges, such as the devastating impacts of prolonged droughts as well as ongoing instability and conflicts in Syria and Iraq. Hence, it is imperative for Turkey to systematically reconcile its water policy objectives in accordance with the global norms that are adopted in this field.
Water Resources in the Middle East
Futile negotiation processes over water allocation and related disputes over water rights in the ... more Futile negotiation processes over water allocation and related disputes over water rights in the Euphrates-Tigris river basin demonstrate that there is a need to create new cooperative frameworks that enable links between cooperation and development. Hence, this chapter commences with the description of the origins and the evolution of the dispute in the region. There are discussions on the merits of the principle of ‘equitable utilization’ and ‘the needs-based approach’ with a specific reference to the Three Stage Plan of Turkey. After analyzing the limitations and shortcomings of existing water allocation mechanisms a more workable solution of ‘sharing the benefits rather than sharing the water itself” is put forward. The Joint Technical Committee meetings are reviewed, suggesting the broadening of its agenda.
Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, 2014
The Euphrates-Tigris river basin now faces severe water crisis that have been fueled by national ... more The Euphrates-Tigris river basin now faces severe water crisis that have been fueled by national development projects in a mainly water-scarce region. Increasing demandinduced scarcity is further complicated by a history of international tensions between the three riparian nations of Turkey, Syria and Iraq and has occurred in a changing climate. Water is a critical security issue for these nations. This essay analyses the causes of the water crises by reviewing the historical hydropolitical international relations of the region. Keywords Transboundary water politics. Euphrates-Tigris river basin. Turkey. Syria. Iraq. Conflict. Cooperation. Non-state actors 1 Turkey, Syria and Iraq are the major riparians in the Euphrates-Tigris river system. Iran, also, contributes about 9 % of the Tigris river flow. 2 Shlomi Dinar, "Geopolitics of Hydropolitics: Negotiations over Water in the Middle East and North Africa," SAIS Working Paper Series Working Paper, No.: WP/01/03, (2003), p. 9.
Turkey's Water Policy, 2011
The Euphrates and its tributaries drain an enormous basin of 444,000 square kilometers of which 3... more The Euphrates and its tributaries drain an enormous basin of 444,000 square kilometers of which 33 percent lies in Turkey, 19 percent in Syria, and 46 percent in Iraq. On the other hand, the Tigris and its tributaries drain an area of 387,600
Méditerranée, 2012
Since the middle of the last century, Turkey's water policy has undergone continuous reforms, wit... more Since the middle of the last century, Turkey's water policy has undergone continuous reforms, with signiicant changes being made especially in the past three decades. Three mutually reinforcing trends can be identified since the early 1980s: decentralization, privatization and Europeanization. On the whole, Turkey's water policy has been transformed from being an entirely centralized public policy to one with decentralized elements, with strong private sector participation and a still rather weak integration of environmental issues into its water policies and management.
Turkey's Water Policy, 2011
... The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for the secretariat of the Bar... more ... The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for the secretariat of the Barcelona Convention and its ... pdf. Accessed 03 June 2005 Wouters P (1999) The legal response to international water conflicts: the UN Watercourses Convention and beyond ...
Turkey's Water Policy, 2011
... Turkish Constitution. As an umbrella organization, it has 23 chambers and about 300000 member... more ... Turkish Constitution. As an umbrella organization, it has 23 chambers and about 300000 members. A. Kibaroglu (*) International Relations Department, Okan University, Istanbul, Turkey e-mail: Aysegul. Kibaroglu@ okan. edu. tr ...
Uluslararası İlişkiler, 2006
Su, bireylerin en temel gereksinimi olma ve ba~llca ekonomik faaliyetlere kaynaklzk etme ozelligi... more Su, bireylerin en temel gereksinimi olma ve ba~llca ekonomik faaliyetlere kaynaklzk etme ozelligi ile uluslarm devamlIllgl i(:in ya~amsal bir kaynaktlr. 1970'lerden gilnilmilze dilnyada ozellikle kurak ve yan-kurak iklim ku~aklarmda yer alan illkelerin sagllklz ve yeterli su kaynaklarma ula$mada kar$lla~tlklan gil(:lilkler ve giderek artan su kttltgmm sosyal, ekonomik ve politik Y£l$ama olan olumsuz etkileri gozlenmi$tir. Bu !;arplcl geli~meler sonucunda, (:e$itli disiplinlerden akademisyen ve uzrnanlar arasmda su kaynalelan arz ve talep dengesinin bozulmasmm bir sonucu olarale ortaya 9lkabilecek
Water International, 2007
Since the early 1990s, the integrated water resources management (IWRM) approach has been champio... more Since the early 1990s, the integrated water resources management (IWRM) approach has been championed and adopted by some of the industrialized states. The present paper analyzes the IWRM approach through an historical narrative while emphasizing divergences in the priorities and requirements of the developing and developed countries. Then, the paper examines water resources management in Turkey taking into consideration the
Water, 2022
Participatory approaches within development programs involving common-pool resources are intended... more Participatory approaches within development programs involving common-pool resources are intended to revive a community’s role in managing these resources. Certainly, to ensure the successful and equitable use of such resources, community participation is essential. However, in many cases, attempts at applying a participatory approach often fail to genuinely engage all subgroups within a community due to assumptions of homogeneity and a lack of understanding of the deep socio-political divisions between people. As a result, development programs can be plagued by these pre-existing power relations, potentially resulting in tokenistic community participation and the continuation of elite capture of natural resources to the same extent or worse than before a development program has begun. This in turn can negatively impact good governance and the fair distribution of a common pool resource. This paper explores the use of participatory approaches in water projects, assessing to what deg...
... scale Canal Systems in Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat, India 129 Barbara van Koppen, R. Parthasar... more ... scale Canal Systems in Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat, India 129 Barbara van Koppen, R. Parthasarathy and ... the task of our editing-formatting-indexing crew which is composed of Arzu Siliv, Handan Giray, Giilay Ergezen, $ ebnem Alpat, Cagla Unal, Giines Erdogan ...
Water Policy, 2016
Turkey's recent venture involving the construction of hundreds of small-scale hydropower proj... more Turkey's recent venture involving the construction of hundreds of small-scale hydropower projects is a significant trend, both in regard to its contribution to Turkey's hydroelectricity production and the social and environmental impact of these projects at the local level. Turkey's hydropower policy was premised on a conventional understanding of water driven by science, technology, and the market. This approach, however, does not seem to have paid sufficient attention to the socio-ecological characteristics of water. Developing policies from a solely technical perspective creates political, economic, and cultural inequalities that adversely affect the social and ecological realm. Hence, this paper attempts to deconstruct the design, execution, and aftermath of Turkey's small-scale hydropower policy through the lens of the hydro-social cycle. We aim to explain various dimensions of Turkey's small-scale hydropower program in a conceptual framework that merges the...
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Papers by Aysegul Onat Kibaroglu
Keywords Transboundary water politics . Euphrates-Tigris river basin . Turkey . Syria . Iraq . Conflict . Cooperation . Non-state actors