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MINI REVIEW article

Front. Water
Sec. Water and Human Systems
Volume 6 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/frwa.2024.1352956

Theoretical Evaluation of integrated Basin at Risk (iBAR) Method for International Water Conflict-Cooperation Analysis

Provisionally accepted
Seyedeh Simin Mirhashemi Dehkordi Seyedeh Simin Mirhashemi Dehkordi 1,2Hojjat Mianabadi Hojjat Mianabadi 2*Saeed Bagherzadeh Saeed Bagherzadeh 3Ebrahim Hajiani Ebrahim Hajiani 4*Seyed Jalal Dehghani Firouzabadi Seyed Jalal Dehghani Firouzabadi 5*
  • 1 Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
  • 2 Water Engineering and Management Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
  • 3 School of Civil Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology,, Tehran, Iran
  • 4 Associate Professor, Ministry of Science, Research and Technology, Tehran, Iran
  • 5 International Relations Department, Faculty of Law and Political Science, Allameh Tabatabaei University, Tehran, Iran

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Complex water systems are inherently prone to conflicts, which can have adverse effects on both the environment and human security across various scales. Basin at Risk (BAR) and Integrated Basin at Risk (iBAR) are among recently developed methods to address water conflicts. As an extension of BAR, iBAR emphasizes hidden drivers of water conflict and cooperation, whereas BAR includes visible ones. The novelty of iBAR is grounded in Johan Galtung's theory of violence and the concept of positive peace. This method emphasizes the importance of capturing the hidden aspects of water conflicts as well as the concept of positive peace in water interactions. While iBAR has made significant improvements in addressing water conflicts, some challenges remain. This paper provides a review and theoretical analysis of iBAR. Initially, the iBAR development phases are reviewed in terms of positive peace conceptualization and contextualization in hydropolitical interactions. Following this, the theoretical background of the method is discussed. The results suggest that the iBAR method could be further enhanced by revising concepts of positive peace, social justice, and environmental justice in hydropolitical interactions. By addressing these challenges, water conflicts can be dealt with more effectively.

    Keywords: Environmental security, Positive peace theory, Transboundary river basin, Water cooperation, Water Conflict

    Received: 16 Dec 2023; Accepted: 26 Apr 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Mirhashemi Dehkordi, Mianabadi, Bagherzadeh, Hajiani and Dehghani Firouzabadi. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Hojjat Mianabadi, Water Engineering and Management Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
    Ebrahim Hajiani, Associate Professor, Ministry of Science, Research and Technology, Tehran, Iran
    Seyed Jalal Dehghani Firouzabadi, International Relations Department, Faculty of Law and Political Science, Allameh Tabatabaei University, Tehran, Iran

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.