| This dissertation examines the relationship between water scarcity and international conflict and cooperation. In it, I find that drought affects international relations, but not always as current scholarship expects. Countries sharing a water resource and enduring a drought are less likely to go to war with each other, or even to experience any militarized conflict. Some tests show that cooperation between countries also dwindles during droughts. However, despite the evidence for a general trend toward less cooperation, countries experiencing a drought have a greater likelihood of water-specific cooperation as expressed in a treaty that explicitly addresses water supply amounts or benefits. |
