ABSTRACT
As war devastates Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Libya and threatens to destabilize neighboring states, a potentially pressing issue can contribute to instability across the Middle East and North Africa. This issue is the scarcity of water that sustains life, the economy and political systems. Population growth, climate change and ineffective management can contribute to water shortages. Any decrease in already scarce water can threaten individual and national security, political stability and food security. Through an appreciation of the multidimensional aspect of water security, means to build adaptive capacity can be proposed in an attempt to avert domestic and regional instability.
