7 - Riparian relations and the perception of conflict

Summary

In this chapter, we shift the focus back to the cognitive variables at play in the Jordan basin. We begin by discussing the relationship that has developed between Israel and Jordan since 1967. To evaluate the potential for cooperation among adversarial states, we link Jordan's attitude toward its avowed enemy to three factors: (1) relative power or, more specifically, Israel's overwhelming (military) capability, (2) a long, shared border with Israel and hence, both geographic proximity and a number of common problems, and (3) acute need for unimpeded access to shared water supplies. In light of the geopolitical environment in the central Middle East, domestic needs and national interest have encouraged Jordan to seek a highly delimited, yet implicitly cooperative, relationship with Israel. Next, we consider the contrasting impressions of Israelis and Jordanians with regard to the persistence of riparian dispute. We highlight the salience in perceptions of both resource need and relative power, and provide an explanation for the variation in perceptions not unlike that for cooperation in international river basins.

Israel and Jordan: challenges and constraints

In order to make sense of the very particular relationship that has developed between Jordan and Israel, it would be necessary first to analyze each of the two states in terms of their strengths and weaknesses, internal and external constraints.