Historical Review of Formal and Informal Water Institutions in the Euphrates-TigrisRegion with a Specific Focus on WaterRelations between Turkey and Iraq

Abstract

This chapter will portray and critically analyze waterinstitutions in the ET basin, be they intangible principles and rules that areadopted in stakeholder practices, or formal or informal organizational structuresthat have been established by the respective states or non-governmental entities.Particular attention will be paid to the current institutional frameworks, such asbilateral high-level political and bureaucratic dialogue between Turkey and Iraqas well as the science-diplomacy and capacity development initiatives that havebeen developed in the midst of the prolonged crisis in the region. The chapter willalso analyze the evolution of national water management institutions, particularlyas they relate to river basin planning and sectoral (i.e., irrigation) water policy andmanagement issues. The analysis of interactions between transboundary andnational water management institutions will be enriched by focusing on the grow-ing role of civil society organizations in war-torn Syria where national and trans-boundary institutions did not have significant weight during the ongoing conflict.