Ruminations on the Blog
We've reached the end of this blog series. Over the course of this term, we have dived head-first into manifestations of hydrological interdependence at different scales, comparing examples of transboundary rivers at the inter-national level (Nile and Senegal Basins) and exploring the intra-national conflicts in the Hadejia-Nguru Wetlands at regional and local level. Recurring themes of power asymmetry and hegemony have come up across these scales, standing out as barriers against effective cooperation and catalysts of conflict. We have seen how infrastructural projects can escalate tensions in different ways. With the GERD, the concerns of downstream citizens are - forcefully - voiced by traditionally hegemonic Egypt in the direction of Ethiopia, a nation growing in stature. As a consequence, full-blown war in the Nile Basin remains a real possibility. Meanwhile, in the Hadejia-Nguru Wetlands, locals downstream have little political capital since power is hoarded by the upstream H
