The Hydropolitic impact on relations between Iraq and Turkey, with emphasis on the Tigris and Euphrates

Water Conflicts can occur when a water source, have a range of more than one country, and countries disagree on how to use it. The Middle East is a region that is facing with the water crisis. One of the most important areas of potential crisis is the Tigris and Euphrates basin that unlike other basins is facing with excess water and discordance on the fair division. Nowadays, Turkey with the implementation of plans and projects and construction of numerous dams have reduce quantity of Euphrates water to Syria and Iraq and caused they sought protest against this projects. The two countries are willing to make a deal and a fair share and called this rivers as the international river, While Turkey called them as territorial rivers. Syria and Iraq in the current situation not be able to cope with Turkey. Among the Turkey’s projects in Euphrates is Manavgat and GAP projects and also Peace Pipeline. This article examines the hydropolitical of the Tigris and Euphrates basin and investigate potential and actual hydropolitical challenges between the countries in the basin. The method used in this article is descriptive-analytical. It seems that according to the current situation, development of water projects by Turkey is one of the main obstacles in the way of achieving hydropolitical consensus in this basin. Given the current relations between Syrian and Turkey during recent unrests in Syria, we should also wait for intensification of conflicts over the water basin.