Rivers of Fire: The Conflict over Water in the Middle East

by Arnon Soffer-ארנון סופר, Nina Copaken (Translator ), Murray Rosovsky (Translator )

In a never-ending battle to match population growth with food and energy production, the countries of the Middle East have been frenziedly developing water resources, including international rivers and groundwate, without considering their neighbors' needs. The inevitable result has been more frequent and increasingly bitter conflicts. At the same time, a halting Arab-Israeli peace process spurred by the collapse of the Soviet Union continues. Are we indeed entering a new era in a new Middle East? Do the region's leaders understand that reality has changed and that a transition is inevitable? Focusing on international rivers and ground water in the region, this timely study provides thoughtful_if pessimistic_answers to these questions. Encompassing all water sources in the Middle East, Arnon Soffer thoroughly explores the Nile, Tigris, Euphrates, Jordan, Orontes, and Litani Rivers, as well as international groundwater. He also weighs the implications of going to war over water and such unconventional solutions to the water shortage as desalination and importation.

318 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Arnon Soffer (born 24 December 1935 in Tel-Aviv) is an Israeli geographer and a professor of Geography and environmental sciences, specialising in water issues and demography. Soffer is one of the University of Haifa founders. He is known for his research into demographic, water, environmental, political, and strategy issues of the state of Israel.

Soffer has been vocal about the very existence of Palestinians as posing a "demographic threat" in that they may not be a minority population and thus they are a threat by the ability to vote. As such he has been credited with working to implement the "separation policy" of Israel. This has been labeled by some as modeling an Apartheid protocol.

אַרְנוֹן סוֹפֵר (נולד ב־24 בדצמבר 1935 בתל אביב) הוא פרופסור אמריטוס ישראלי לגאוגרפיה ולמדעי הסביבה. מרצה וחוקר מהבכירים בארץ בתחומו, המחזיק בתפקידים אקדמיים בארגונים אזרחיים וממשלתיים. ממקימי אוניברסיטת חיפה. ידוע בעיקר בזכות מחקריו אודות מדינת ישראל בנושאי דמוגרפיה, מים וסביבה בהקשרים פוליטיים ואסטרטגיים. סופר מייחס משקל רב לסביבה הפיזית בתחומי הגאוגרפיה הרגיונלית והגאופוליטיקה ועל כן גישתו לתחומים אלו היא מאוד דטרמיניסטית.

הוא מתריע במשך שנים מפני תהליכים גאוגרפיים המסכנים את קיומה של מדינת ישראל, והיה מהראשונים שתיארו את ריבוי האוכלוסין במגזר הערבי בתור "סכנה דמוגרפית" למדינת ישראל.

Reviews

[Kara · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting take on the idea of international and exotic rivers and the problems and controversies between their use and development by neighboring countries.

[Tyler McArthur · Rating 2 out of 5]

For a book all about water, it was probably one of the driest books I've ever read.