Rivers of Eden: The Struggle for Water and the Quest for Peace in the Middle East

After decades of strife, the Middle East now seems to be moving toward peace. But prospects for a settlement stand on shakier ground than many observers realize, says scientist Daniel Hillel. What they tend to overlook is that the severely wounded environment of the region threatens the future stability of any political accord. Widespread destruction of vegetation and natural habitats, erosion of uplands, desertification of semiarid areas, waterlogging and salinization of valleys, and, most of all, depletion and pollution of precious water resources - no diplomatic formula will ensure lasting peace in the Middle East, argues Hillel, unless it redresses these ills. In Rivers of Eden, Hillel examines this environmental crisis and explores its crucial role in the political and economic future of this particularly sensitive and troubled region. He shows how ecological degradation, exacerbated by an uncontrolled explosion of population and a potential warming and drying of climate, is itself a cause of instability in the area, dislocating and disorienting countless people and fomenting despair and extremism. And yet, he adds, since no country in the region can solve its water problem alone, the very cause of conflict is also an inducement for promoting peace.