Online published on 22 June, 2015.
Since the end of the twentieth century, the realm of international relations has been characterised by resource geopolitics—the potential for conflict as a result of the scarcity of vital resources that cross political boundaries. The idea laid by early scholars in explaining the link between the environment and conflict was speculative and imprecise, hence the need for a theory that addresses the linkage. Given the reduced water availability due to population growth, degradation and depletion of the River Nile and its uneven distribution, fierce competition over the already diminishing water resources increases the potential for an inter-riparian conflict in its basin.
