The Role of international rivers in regional cooperation and convergence:The case of the Harirud and the Dam of Dousti

جغرافیاوتوسعه ناحیه ای

Article 3, Volume 9, Issue 1 - Serial Number 16, September 2011   

Document Type: scientific-research article

DOI: 10.22067/geography.v9i16.11029

Authors

Seid Hadi Zarghani^* ; Amin Lotfi

Abstract

International rivers are referred to as the waterways that cross the boundaries between two or more countries and designate the political frontiers between neighboring countries. Rivers that flow across two or more countries are also included among the international ones. Shared bodies of water, as economic resources, commonly contribute to cross-border disputes among nations. They are supposed to cause various types of interaction among states, from a source of compatibility and cooperation to a range of conflicts and hostilities. The conflict between Jordan and Syria over the Yarmouk River, the dispute between Bolivia and Chile over the Luca River, and the conflict between India and Pakistan over the Indus River are but a few instances of such international disputes. Conversely, in some parts of the world, including the two neighboring countries Iran and Turkmenistan, the shared bodies of water may contribute as binding factors among nations, so that the beneficiary countries turn to cooperation and integration rather than conflict which is a serious obstacle to any kind of development. Iran and Turkmenistan’s decision to construct the Dam of Dousti on the Harirud, the bordering river between the two countries, and their agreement on a legal regime for the body of water, is an instance of utilizing common water resources for regional cooperation and convergence. The present paper, employing a descriptive-analytical approach and focusing on the Harirud, as a body of water bringing about cooperation and convergence between the two nations, addresses the potential dual role that can be played by Border Rivers.

Key words: International rivers; Regional Cooperation; The Harirud; The Dam of Dousti .