Murky waters of war: Toward a clearer conceptualization of water as a weapon

Water has long presented a potent means to harm and influence others in war. All states, and many non-state actors, possess water supply and/or storage infrastructure. This is usually encased in high security and surveillance – a testament to the utmost importance and vulnerability of water lest hostile actors misuse it. Yet water weaponization, understood here as the use of water as physical arms to harm and/or gain leverage over an adversary, remains underconceptualized. How is water used as a weapon of armed conflict? Existing literature has made valuable inroads in presenting the different objectives of weaponization through case insights, often with a focus on the Middle East. Building on these works, this study presents a focused, multilevel conceptualization that defines water as a weapon, combines type – deprivation and inundation – with objective – strategic and tactical, and measures intensity. Looking at these dimensions together captures almost all actions that have incorporated water as arms. It also offers new avenues for research and policy to better understand and prevent the use of water in warfare – especially timely against the backdrop of water’s involvement in recent conflicts.