Water Diplomacy in the 21st Century – The Mekong River Case

Abstract

This study is the outcome of a research that lasted nearly one year. The paper focuses on a specific form of 21st-century water conflicts, examining the attributes of the influences of river usage and water flow regarding the Southeast Asian Mekong River. The Mekong case includes all the elements of a complex conflict from cooperation to confrontation, ranging from internal and external political challenges to international relations, from the preservation of local ecosystem and environmental pollution to investments affecting water flow and riparian societies, furthermore, from inter-state and regional cooperation to the activity of NGOs and intergovernmental bodies.