Diplomacy or War? An Assessment of the Water Politics among the Riparian States of the River Nile from 1929 - 1999

The main aim of this study was to carry out an assessment of the water politics among the riparian states of the River Nile. The study was guided by specific objectives that included an assessment of various historical agreements in the Nile Basin, examination of the nature of diplomatic engagements among the riparian states and the impact of the Nile Basin initiative on the riparian states. Realism theory has been used to show how the Nile riparian states compete for power and take advantage of each other’s detriments. Foreign policy must thus be understood in terms of pursuit of national interest. Expert interviews and content analysis of case studies were used to gather and analyze the information. The collected data was used to determine the nature of diplomatic engagements among the riparian states in the immediate post-independent period and how the water politics among the riparian state of the River Nile Basin have transformed. Furthermore, the study established that the treaties signed in the colonial era can no longer reflect the priorities and the interests of these new states. Despite its challenges, the Nile riparian countries have now embarked on the spirit of cooperation. There is consensus among all the riparian states that the Nile is a treasure to be shared by all the states. However, there is disagreement with regards to equitable justice in the distribution of the water. For a sustainable political solution to exist, a new agreement has to be established that respects the sovereignty of all the states. Future research may look into the challenge that remains, which is to put an institutional development and cooperative thinking into practice through the development of projects of mutual benefit that are both sustainable and able to deliver benefits to the poorest of the riparian states.