Desalination, transboundary water desecuritization and cooperation

The concepts of securitization and desecuritization, drawn from the security studies in international relations, explain the construction and deconstruction of security issues. The management of trans- boundary water resources has long been a national priority issue for many nations. By reducing the interdependence between states, large-scale desalination influences processes associated with the management of transboundary water resources and tends to place them back in the normal sphere of politics. Scholars described securitization and desecuritization as rather efficient or inefficient pro- cesses in terms of cooperation over water, but fail to provide a pertinent analysis of the implications of desalination on state interactions. This paper intends to fill in the research gap regarding the nexus between desalination, water securitization and desecuritization and cooperation. It analyses the theo- retical background of the securitization and desecuritization theories emanating from the Copenhagen School and applies it to the issue of desalination. Using the Red-Dead Canal project between Israel, Jordan and Palestine, it illustrates how desalination can increase or decrease cooperation depending on the sociological context of the securitization and desecuritization moves. Lines of research on the factors and implications of desalination on transboundary hydro-politics are also discussed.