Water security in the Middle East and North African region

Water security in the Middle East and North Africa region has changed dramatically over the last few decades. The region has a history of political conflict, making effective cooperative water management difficult. Meanwhile, leaders of these stats have pursued large supply-side projects like dams to satisfy large population increases and growing agriculture and industry, but these projects increase tensions with neighbors. At the same time, climate change is reducing the supply of water, and groundwater is being unsustainably mined. This Forum addresses water security in the region, particularly in the Iran, the Gulf Cooperation Council states, and the Tigris-Euphrates basin. While this Forum is far from comprehensive, important trends and water security threats are identified, and “exit strategies” are discussed. In this essay, we contextualize the changing notions of security and the growing water security paradigm Forum authors are writing about. © 2014, The Psychonomic Society Inc.