Solid Pier of Sovereignty, or How the World Water Order is to be Created

This paper focuses on analyzing joint thinking about sovereignty and water as a political entity (broadly, from the subject of boundary agreements to the issue of contemporary political philosophy). It is based on the theory of sovereignty, so the methodological basis of the article is a comparative analysis of the concepts. The political reflection of water is intertwined with the concept of sovereignty. Water is interpreted as something inextricably linked to national boundaries, dividing or, conversely, transcending. The concept of sovereignty makes it possible to talk about rivers flowing on the territory of different states, about their basins, about access to the world ocean, about climate, freshwater resources, to raise questions about local and global, threats and security, cooperation and conflicts, the past and the future, the real and the potential. This affects the creation of a common and understandable to all normative system of water (as political category) management, which has been actively formed in recent decades. Many texts have been collected and analysed to determine the relationship between water and sovereignty. Each was evaluated in terms of its importance in creating interpretive models underlying specific political actions, from the drafting of international agreements to the description of electoral programs in the media. It was found that sovereignty has been integrated into the political conceptualisation of water and has become a tool for solving specific tasks. It creates a language to talk about water as a resource that is finite, requires equitable distribution, requires external intervention, is in danger of extinction, and is a basic need for humans and humanity. The vague boundaries of the concept of sovereignty and disputes about its meaning only contribute to its relevance. It is present in such a wide range of topics, they can only be united by a reference to water.

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Publication Details

Journal
RUDN Journal of Political Science
Published
2025-04-02
DOI
https://doi.org/10.22363/2313-1438-2025-27-1-39-54
Primary Topic
Transboundary Water Resource Management
Type
article
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article

Solid Pier of Sovereignty, or How the World Water Order is to be Created

Anastasia A. Mikhaleva
RUDN Journal of Political Science
Transboundary Water Resource Management
article

Solid Pier of Sovereignty, or How the World Water Order is to be Created

Anastasia A. Mikhaleva
article en

Abstract

This paper focuses on analyzing joint thinking about sovereignty and water as a political entity (broadly, from the subject of boundary agreements to the issue of contemporary political philosophy). It is based on the theory of sovereignty, so the methodological basis of the article is a comparative analysis of the concepts. The political reflection of water is intertwined with the concept of sovereignty. Water is interpreted as something inextricably linked to national boundaries, dividing or, conversely, transcending. The concept of sovereignty makes it possible to talk about rivers flowing on the territory of different states, about their basins, about access to the world ocean, about climate, freshwater resources, to raise questions about local and global, threats and security, cooperation and conflicts, the past and the future, the real and the potential. This affects the creation of a common and understandable to all normative system of water (as political category) management, which has been actively formed in recent decades. Many texts have been collected and analysed to determine the relationship between water and sovereignty. Each was evaluated in terms of its importance in creating interpretive models underlying specific political actions, from the drafting of international agreements to the description of electoral programs in the media. It was found that sovereignty has been integrated into the political conceptualisation of water and has become a tool for solving specific tasks. It creates a language to talk about water as a resource that is finite, requires equitable distribution, requires external intervention, is in danger of extinction, and is a basic need for humans and humanity. The vague boundaries of the concept of sovereignty and disputes about its meaning only contribute to its relevance. It is present in such a wide range of topics, they can only be united by a reference to water.

RUDN Journal of Political ScienceVol. 27(1)
Buryat State University (RU)
Openalex Percentile: Top 60%
Transboundary Water Resource Management
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