Conflict And Cooperation On The Scheldt River Basin: A Case Study Of Decision Making On International Scheldt Issues Between 1967 And 1997 (environment & Policy)

More than 200 major river basins are shared by two or more countries and, together, these basins account for about 60% of the earth's land area, constituting a significant portion of the world's fresh water resources. They are thus both a significant asset to the nations sharing them, as well as a potential source of conflict. This book presents a generic framework for the analysis of decision making on international river issues. It emphasises the strategic character of the interactions between the basin states and addresses learning and institutionalization processes, taking account of the influence of the context on the decision making process. The case of the river Scheldt covers negotiations on the Belgian-Dutch water conventions covering a number of international issues relating to the river basins of the Scheldt and the Meuse, such as construction projects aimed at improving the maritime access to the port of Antwerp, the maintenance of the navigation channel in the Western Scheldt, pollution of the waters in the two rivers, and the distribution of water from the Meuse. The final part of the book contains a typology of strategies for the solution of upstream-downstream problems in international river basins. __Audience:__ All those interested in international water and environmental management, international negotiations and politics, and public policy. Front Matter....Pages i-xiv Front Matter....Pages 1-1 Introduction....Pages 3-12 Decision Making on International River Issues....Pages 13-44 Case Study Design....Pages 45-54 Front Matter....Pages 55-55 Context of Decision Making on International Scheldt Issues....Pages 57-92 Preparation of Three Draft Conventions and a Total Deadlock (1967–1985)....Pages 93-117 Laborious Negotiations and the Breakthrough (1985–1993)....Pages 119-166 Conclusion and Implementation of the Water Conventions (1993–1997)....Pages 167-223 Front Matter....Pages 225-225 Conclusions....Pages 227-246 Solving Upstream-Downstream Problems....Pages 247-260 Final Discussion....Pages 261-265 Back Matter....Pages 267-361