| This dissertation examines the role of third parties in assisting countries to reach agreements for cooperative management and development of common international rivers. The study's particular concern is understanding the process of developing a commitment to negotiate, not the negotiation process which follows. To examine the issues and obstacles involved in these efforts, the dissertation employs a case study of World Bank attempts to assist India and Nepal in negotiating water resource development in the Ganges, focusing on hydropower. The dissertation's analytical framework is grounded in international relations and negotiation theory, whose literature, particularly that examining third parties in negotiations, is reviewed before proceeding to the context and case analysis.;The analysis focuses on discussions between India and Nepal for developing electricity trade, and the World Bank's role in those discussions, from 1987-1992. The Indian and Nepalese governments have repeatedly expressed their desire to expand their current, small, ad hoc trade between border areas. However, despite years of discussions, they have yet to reach agreement. A prominent feature of the case context, and a determinant of case outcomes, are the multiple asymmetries between India and Nepal in size, population, resource base, and military and economic strength. This asymmetry also marks their water and electric power relations.;The World Bank has often been cited as an international organization possessing the potential to break stalemates between co-riparians, given its financial resources and technical expertise. It was unable to do so here, despite being the largest multilateral aid donor to both countries. The Bank did suggest some smaller steps to which India and Nepal eventually agreed. Severe asymmetry and poor bilateral relationships between the two countries partly explains the Bank's limited success. But significantly, the Bank's own actions proved insufficient to address the situation. With increasing demands on freshwater, the Bank will likely become involved in more projects involving co-riparians, not by choice, but by necessity. To prepare for this future, the World Bank must reconsider its policy and approach to multi-country riparian projects.;This study utilizes interviews, non-classified government and World Bank documents, and relevant theoretical literature. |
