Environmental Pathways
to Peacemaking
Geoff Dabelko
Woodrow Wilson
International Center
for Scholars
• Propose turning
the environment
and conflict
thesis on its
head
• Can we exploit
environmental
problems
strategically as
part of broader
peacemaking
efforts?
Environmental Pathways to Peace?
• Can we utilize the logic of environmental
interdependence to talk across lines of tension?
– State to state
– Civil society to civil society
• Use cooperative efforts and dialogue to manage
environmental resources as a way to transform
insecurities and create more peaceful relations
between parties in dispute
• Help overcome political tensions through interaction,
confidence building, and technical cooperation
Environmental Pathways
Along the Conflict Continuum
1. Environment as conflict prevention
2. Environment as lifeline in times of
conflict
3. Environment as essential ingredient
to peace agreement
4. Environment as post-conflict trust
builder
Environmental Cooperation as
Conflict Prevention
Nile Basin Initiative
1,700 State-to-State Water Interactions in Transboundary Basins, 1946-1999
International Water Treaty
Military Support
157
7
436
Non-military Agreement
Verbal Suppport
628
96
Neutral
414
Verbal Hostility
Hostile Acts
56
37
Military Acts
Formal War
0
Source: Adapted from Wolf et al. 2003 in Water Policy
Environment as Lifeline in Times
of Conflict
Lifeline in times of conflict and tension
• Arctic Military Environment Cooperation
(AMEC)
• Picnic Table Talks
• Environmental management - HELCOM
Environmental Engagement to
Gain New Strategic Partners
• CENTCOM in Central Asia
• US Military-Military bilaterals with
Vietnam, India, Thailand, Central
American countries
Environment as Essential
Ingredient to Achieving Peace
Peru – Ecuador
border
Cordillera del
Condor
Transboundary
Protected Area
Water didn’t get you into this
mess but…
– Palestine-Israel
– India-Pakistan
Environment as Post-Conflict
Confidence Builder
Peace Parks
UNEP Post-Conflict Assessment Unit
Some Key Challenges
• Transparency and participation – finding the
right mix and the right time
• Doing environmental peacemaking without
calling it environmental peacemaking or
environmental security
• Integrating development
• Variable chances of success along conflict
continuum
Some Key Challenges
• Overcoming institutional barriers to cooperation
among agencies
• Improving donor coordination and duration of
commitment
• Size matters for donors and recipients
• Shortage of capable facilitators
• Staying behind the scenes – U.S. can’t always be
out front
• How to demonstrate success if success is a null
case