Water Flow in the Tigris-Euphrates Basin: Challenges to Long-Term Solutions Under State Sovereignty, Political Instability, And Climate Change Uncertainties

The Tigris and Euphrates rivers and their tributaries are the lifeline of Iraq and parts of Syria, and they are significant water resources in Türkiye and Iran. Iraq is known in historical texts as the land between two rivers, or Mesopotamia, which illustrates the importance of the rivers to this country. Recent hydraulic structures in upstream states, along with climate change factors, have caused interruptions to the flow of the rivers and reduced their waters, thereby creating a huge water deficit in downstream Iraq. This paper reviews the profound significance of the rivers for Iraq. It argues that state sovereignty, political instability, and increasing fluctuations in precipitation because of climate change pose considerable challenges to the natural flow of the rivers, making short-term bilateral solutions more practical.