Weaponizing Water: Water Stress and Islamic Extremist Violence in Africa and the Middle East

Conflict and environmental degradation often go hand in hand. Many recent civil wars have been exacerbated by the decline of resources, such as land and water, caused by both global warming and population pressures. King’s book starts from this premise, and the three cases of Islamist extremist insurgencies he examines—the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, Boko Haram in northeastern Nigeria, and al Shabab in Somalia—take place in locations that clearly suffer from desertification and growing water shortages. King ably describes these dynamics and argues that all three insurgencies have weaponized the need for water to cause terror and advance their strategic goals. They have sought to take over water infrastructure, for instance, and have tried to control irrigated lands. They have also poisoned water wells of communities they target and planted land mines near water sources to limit access. King discusses policy options for governments inside and outside Africa, but he concludes pessimistically that the weaponization of water resources is likely to characterize a growing number of conflicts.