Failure to securitise environmental problems in Iraq: the case of the Alwand and Sirwan Rivers

The major rivers in Iraq are threatened by water and irrigation projects in neighbouring countries. The dried up Alwand River caused great damage to the agricultural lands in and around the town of Khanaqin and created a huge shortage of drinking water. After some years a dam was built which slowly and partially recovered the losses. Neither the Iraqi government nor the regional government of Iraqi Kurdistan dealt with the problem of the Alwand River as a security issue. After some years, the Iraqi government responded to it within its normal agenda. Drying up is looming for a much greater river in the region, the Sirwan River. There is almost no chance for a similar solution, let alone securitisation, to this problem, as this article reports.     

Natural resources in Kurdistan and the legitimacy of their exploitation by the regional authority: water,oil and gas

The constitution of Iraq affects the development by the Kurdistan Region of Iraq of its natural resources, oil in particular. The paper examines the constitution’s provisions in regard to natural resource questions. The Kurdistan Regional Government should give adequate attention to water problems and adopt a transparent oil and gas policy. There should be a new settlement for the disputed territories outside the current constitutional framework.