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Water security refers to the availability of adequate quantities and qualities of water for societal needs and resilient ecosystems in the context of current conditions and future global change. Achieving water security is directly linked to food and energy security, protecting and preserving ecosystems, and addressing key vulnerabilities and risks from climate change. Good water governance –including transboundary cooperation– is a critical feature of any effort to achieve water security. Yet the concept of water security remains abstract and broad. In an attempt to make the concept of water security-relevant in practice, this paper delineates Türkiye's water security policy and practices through institutional and cross-sectoral (energy and food) analysis. Specific attention is paid to Türkiye's transboundary water security policies.

Transboundary water relations in the Euphrates-Tigris basin have been marked with political confrontations among the riparian states, namely Turkey, Syria and Iraq, mainly due to uncoordinated construction, filling and operation of large-scale dams. Yet, technical cooperation on dam safety has been a common concern for the three riparians. But, due to the troubles that they had to endure, such as the US invasion of Iraq and the civil war in Syria, trilateral cooperation has not been possible. On bilateral level, however, government officials and water professionals from Turkey and Iraq have been spending efforts for developing projects to build joint dams on the border. Nevertheless, the Turkey–Iraq track fell short of adopting joint strategies for responding to the actions of violent non-state actors (e.g., ISIS) and could not build a basin-wide understanding for protecting dams against the effects of armed conflict. Thus, while discussions on global principles (i.e., Geneva List of Principles) for protection of water continue, new political trajectory in the basin urges the riparian states to reflect on the possible ways and means of improving protection of dams under international law during and after armed conflicts.

Middle East suffers from an abundance of issues that compound water security, including arapidly growing population, uneven economic development, limited amounts of watersupply, negative impacts of climate change and poor water management practices bothwithin and between states. The geopolitical importance of the region, and the conflicts thathave consequently resulted, aggravate the usual problems of using water in a variety ofsettings, such as the Euphrates-Tigris (ET) basin.Transboundary water politics in the ET basin is often marked with political confrontationsamong its major riparians, namely Turkey, Syria and Iraq. However, the basin also hostswater diplomacy governance structures. Thus, the talk will address power dynamics in thebasin with specific references to diplomatic negotiation processes. Bearing in mind thattransboundary water relations in the basin occurs in volatile political circumstances, the talkwill culminate with analyses on the current and emerging issues in the basin, elaborating onthe impact of the Syrian civil war.

The enactment of new water policies does not always translate into observable lasting changes, particularly in agriculture, due to multiple factors, ranging from inadequate reform preparation and design, institutional and political economy constraints, to lack of acceptance, limited awareness, or inappropriate enforcement. Investments levels, in techniques, infrastructures and institutions, may also contribute to the degree of the water reform's implementation. In the long term, a policy process with low future path-dependency, allows for possible adjustment to respond to changing conditions.

Water disputes evolved from flow regulation ini,ally to large scale projects including hydro.Global and regional politics have not been conducive for cooperation. Mutual mistrust and lack of confidence stood as obstacles for joint dam development and coordination.

The degree of water scarcity and its political, economic and social implications are felt much more severely in regions like the Mediterranean. Almost every factor linked with water crises globally is present in the region, including: scarcity and variability of freshwater resources; rapidly growing population; changing levels of economic development; misuses as well as poor water management and allocation practices;and burgeoning uncertainties coupled with climate change. An important number of these water resources, particularly in the southern rim of the region, are transboundary in that they cross political boundaries of more than one nation. This increases the complexity of the problem, as it has now become an issue at an international level. Hence, in order to fully comprehend the water situation in the Mediterranean region, it is necessary to review water challenges at national and regional levels, and set a priority ranking for the problems of a physical, technical, institutional, social and economic nature, which affect the development, management and use of water resources.

Transboundary water cooperation should resume, whenever there is a chance to do so, from a variety of perspectives and issues that may provide opportunities for regional cooperation anew.

Since the second half of the 20th century, trans-boundary water governance in the Euphrates-Tigris river system has evolved with competitive power dynamics and cooperative institutional development. Dr. Kibaroğlu's speech will focus on the evolution of transboundary water politics in the basin over a series of consecutive periods. Overarching political problems, namely, the Syrian civil war and the deterioration of bilateral political relations between any pair of the riparians constitute to disable political background for the implementation of good water governance in the Euphrates- Tigris river basin. ; Currently a visiting professor at the LBJ School of Public Affairs, Dr. Aysegül Kibaroğlu is professor in the Department of Political Science and International Relations at MEF University in Istanbul, Turkey. She has published extensively on the politics of water resources, with an emphasis on the Euphrates Tigris river basin, contributing articles to the International Negotiation Journal, Water International, Journal of International Affairs, and Global Governance.

The purpose of this two-day workshop is to uncover the intersections between technical and traditional knowledge bases, and address the misunderstanding that arise due to conflicting epistemic perspectives. The objective of the workshop is to uncover cases in which local wisdom has the potential to aid proper implementation of technical solutions, as well as the pitfalls that should be avoided. Current issues, such as the impending evacuation around the Tigris due to issues with the Mosul dam, make this workshop particularly salient. ; The Middle East Studies Center, the Global Water Initiative, John Glenn College of Public Affairs, Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, Syrian Student Union, Ohio Water Resources Center, and School of Earth Sciences

Cooperation was essential between the three riparian nations if they were to effectively coordinate their use of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The global political environment presented obstacles, however. During the course of the Cold War the riparian nations found themselves in different political camps. The governments of Syria and Iraq had allied themselves with the Soviet Union and Turkey had joined the NATO coalition. This further stressed diplomatic ties, which in turn further stressed cooperation between the riparian water authorities.

International conference on Women, Water and Peace in the Middle East, which was convened at MEF campus on 18-19 March 2016 was co-hosted by MEF University, Istanbul and the Strategic Foresight Group (SFG), Mumbai with support from the Swedish International Development Agency, Stockholm. The meeting brought together 60 thought leaders and women opinion makers from Iraq, Jordan Lebanon and Turkey as key participants, including former Ministers, Members of Parliament, government officials, academics and editors of newspapers. ; the Swedish International Development Agency, Stockholm.

Climate change is frequently made out to be amongst the key security challenges of the 21st century. Not only popular media but also official policy documents and academic accounts frequently raise the alarm over the conflict potential in a future shaped by increasing variability and exacerbating change in climatic patterns. Nature that sustains us, as the socio-ecological metabolism of our modern societies, has now increasingly come to be seen as a threat to humanity's very survival. The increase in mean temperatures, climate variability, extreme weather events and rising sea levels are but few of the many future scenarios anticipated to increase social vulnerability and trigger social unrest. Not only already volatile parts of Sub-Saharan Africa and Sahel but also the Mediterranean and the Middle East are said to be amongst the regions most exposed to climate risks, whereby geopolitical, social and climate instability coincide.

Historical evidence shows that states preferred the following ways of (preventive) diplomacy instead of waging war: dialogue,negotiation,joint project (joint dams): defining joint interests and adopting, to some extent, benefit sharing approach, joint institutional mechanisms (technical ???????????committees, river basin organizations)

MEF Üniversitesi Siyaset Bilimi Uluslararası ilişkiler Bölümü Öğretim Üyesi Prof. Dr. Ayşegül Kibaroğlu'nun açılış konuşmasını yaptığı uluslararası toplantı MEF Üniversitesi'nde gerçekleşen ilk uluslararası konferans oldu. ''Blue Peace for the Middle East High Level Forum" isimli forum bölge ülkelerinin siyaset, medya ve akademi dünyasından önde gelen kişilerini bir araya getirdi. Irak, Suriye, Lübnan, Ürdün, Yemen, Senegal, Hindistan, İsviçre ve Ülkemizden siyaset, akademi ve medyanın önde gelen temsilcilerini bir araya getiren yüksek düzeyli forum, suyun ortadoğudaki stratejik önemini vurgulamak ve bölge ülkeleri arasında barış ve işbirliğinin geliştirilmesine katkıda bulunmak amacıyla diyalogların geliştirilmesine destek oldu. ; About 90 policy makers, Members of Parliament, serving and former Ministers, media leaders, academics and water experts from across the Middle East came together for the first annual High Level Forum on Blue Peace in the Middle East at Istanbul on 19-20 September 2014. The forum was co-hosted by the Strategic Foresight Group and MEF University of Istanbul, Turkey in cooperation with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and the Political Directorate of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. The participants proposed concrete initiatives at bi-lateral as well as regional levels to promote cooperation and sustainable management of water resources in the region. The Forum began with special presentations on the experience of the Senegal River Basin Authority in collaborative water management and work in progress of Orontes River Basin Atlas for post conflict water management in Syria and its neighbouring countries.

About 90 policy makers, Members of Parliament, serving and former Ministers, media leaders, academics and water experts from across the Middle East came together for the first annual High Level Forum on Blue Peace in the Middle East at Istanbul on 19-20 September 2014. The forum was co-hosted by the Strategic Foresight Group and MEF University of Istanbul, Turkey in cooperation with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and the Political Directorate of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. The participants proposed concrete initiatives at bi-lateral as well as regional levels to promote cooperation and sustainable management of water resources in the region. The Forum began with special presentations on the experience of the Senegal River Basin Authority in collaborative water management and work in progress of Orontes River Basin Atlas for post conflict water management in Syria and its neighbouring countries.