Preface to the paperback edition

Summary

Since Water and power went to press in the fall of 1992, the Middle Eastern region has witnessed a number of historic developments, some of which impact directly upon the politics of water. I am pleased, therefore, that this new edition allows me the opportunity to continue the story of the Jordan waters conflict up to the present.

Most significant of the recent developments is that the peace process that was set in motion at the Madrid conference in the fall of 1991, in the wake of the Gulf war, has taken on a life of its own. This, I may add, had not been anticipated; prior to Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, no one in the public domain could have predicted with any degree of certainty that a resolution of the four-decade-long Arab—Israeli conflict was about to be put back onto the negotiating table and, more importantly, would remain there for as long as it has.

These were particularly fortuitous developments for Water and power, as well. Despite the fact that the subject matter of the book had represented the focus of my research interests since the early 1980s — before the water dimension of the Arab—Israeli relationship became highly publicized — the book suddenly found itself at the center of the arena of Middle Eastern affairs and squarely within the agenda of the peace process.