As in the Jordan River basin, in the Euphrates, Indus, and Nile basins, there has been conflict among the riparian states over the allocation and utilization of the rivers' waters. All four riparian disputes are located in arid or semi-arid regions, where resource scarcity is a fact of life. In all four cases and for some or all of the riparians, dependence on the river system is great. The basin states have very important agricultural sectors; they depend on the river primarily for irrigation water. For at least some of the states in each basin, unimpeded access to the water resources is linked to national security concerns. As noted in chapter 1, basin-wide, integrated development has been advocated as the optimal means for sharing the waters of an international river, especially in situations of acute need. However, in none of the cases have the basin states elected this approach.

While the three cases share with the Jordan dispute certain basic similarities, there are significant differences in conditions and variables that account for the variation in outcomes. First, in the Nile basin, there is no protracted conflict over multiple issues among the riparian states as there is in the Jordan, Indus, and to a somewhat lesser extent, Euphrates basins.