Resumen de The concept of hydrohegemony as a framework for analyzing transborder conflicts over water. Thinking about the Chinese case
Juan Jose Delgado Morán, Fulvia Teano
- español
El agua es un recurso esencial por la vida humana, y también es un factor geopolítico importante, en particular en la actual situación mundial de incipiente escasez. En ese sentido, cabe preguntarse en qué medida las cuencas hidrográficas transfronterizas pueden considerarse una fuente de cooperación entre los Estados o una causa de conflictos internacionales. Esta cuestión se ha discutido en gran medida en la literatura académica, desde las hipótesis de la "guerra del agua" hasta las de la "paz del agua". Este estudio adopta el marco de la hidrohegemonía para analizar las asimetrías de poder en la asignación de agua entre los Estados ribereños. En él se analiza el caso de estudio de la hidroconducta de China, en concreto en la región de la cuenca del Río Mekong, en la que se presentan características que facilitan la investigación de la hidrohegemonía en las relaciones internacionales contemporáneas
- English
Water is an essential resource, it is at the basis of human civilization and human life, and it also is an important geopolitical factor, in particular in the present worldwide condition of increasing scarcity. Therefore, can transboundary waters at the river basin level, which constitute the majority of freshwater basins, be considered a source that strengthen cooperation among states or a cause of international conflicts? This issue has been largely discussed in the academic literature since the 80s, following the Neo-Malthusian reasoning coupled with a realist approach. However, these arguments merely allow for the depoliticisation of the concept of water security, and do not reflect the realities of water politics. In order to understand states’ hydrobehaviour in transboundary water arrangements at the international level, a framework based on concepts such as hydrohegemony should be adopted to allow for the analysis power asymmetries both at the domestic and international level. To further understand the role that hydrohegemony and power asymmetry play in international water-relations, the case study of China’s hydrobehaviour is taken under analysis, specifically in the region of the Mekong River Basin. China is one of the world’s major raising powers, has exhibited high rates of economic growth, and is heavily dependant on natural resources, and in particular water. As water scarcity is affecting its development, China has shown behaviours pertaining to an ‘hydrohegemon’, making it a particularly interesting case to investigate.
