Browsing by Author "Sayan, Ramazan Caner"

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Citation - WoS: 11
Citation - Scopus: 15
Water and ‘imperfect Peace’ in the Euphrates–tigris River Basin
(Oxford University Press (OUP), 2021) Kibaroğlu, Ayşegül; Sayan, Ramazan Caner
Transboundary water politics in the Euphrates–Tigris (ET) basin has long developed in tandem with the various political confrontations that have taken place among Iraq, Syria and Turkey. However, since the invasion of Iraq in 2003 and the beginnings of domestic unrest in Syria in 2011, transboundary water relations have been pursued within the context of an unstable international security environment, particularly with the emergence of non-state armed groups who have used water as a weapon against their opponents.1 At the same time, however, cooperative mechanisms have also been initiated by riparian politicians, diplomats and water line ministries as well as informal and external actors. This article sets out to examine the various emerging actors and mechanisms operating in this context, arguing that their coexistence in the basin demonstrates a case of ‘imperfect peace’. The concept of ‘imperfect peace’ is used to acknowledge the fact that relations can be reinforced through peaceful interactions, negotiations, agreements, treaties and diplomacy at multiple levels, even in conditions that do not amount to war, but where violence is present.2With a specific focus on the ET river basin, the main objective of this article is to address policy-relevant research questions, such as how various actors and mechanisms operate within and influence transboundary water relations under the conditions of ‘imperfect peace’, and what kind of joint security mechanisms the riparian states should create to cope with violent non-state actors who control water and infrastructure. In reflecting on these questions, the article will analyse the strategic role that water plays in environmental peacebuilding and reflect on possible ways to improve the protection of water during and after armed conflicts.
Citation - WoS: 13
Citation - Scopus: 14
Understanding Water-Society Nexus: Insights From Turkey's Small-Scale Hydropower Policy
(Water Policy, 2016) Kibaroğlu, Ayşegül; Sayan, Ramazan Caner
Turkey’s recent venture involving the construction of hundreds of small-scale hydropower projects is a signifi- cant trend, both in regard to its contribution to Turkey’s hydroelectricity production and the social and environmental impact of these projects at the local level. Turkey’s hydropower policy was premised on a conven- tional understanding of water driven by science, technology, and the market. This approach, however, does not seem to have paid sufficient attention to the socio-ecological characteristics of water. Developing policies from a solely technical perspective creates political, economic, and cultural inequalities that adversely affect the social and ecological realm. Hence, this paper attempts to deconstruct the design, execution, and aftermath of Turkey’s small-scale hydropower policy through the lens of the hydro-social cycle. We aim to explain various dimensions of Turkey’s small-scale hydropower program in a conceptual framework that merges the concept of the hydro-social cycle with patterns of distributive environmental justice. We find that state-led, techno-centric and market-oriented approaches to water instrumentalize a rhetoric of justice in order to justify the development of small-scale hydropower ventures. Our analysis, however, demonstrates Turkey’s small-scale hydropower policy falls short of delivering on its promise of distributive justice in three relevant dimensions, namely the distribution of burdens and benefits, vulnerabilities, and responsibilities at local level.