ABSTRACT
The fifth section, Identity, discusses national identity. This is the control variable. What factors shape the self-image and national raison d'etre of the various states in the Nile basin? What role does religion play in the various states? Who is the “other” within and without the various Nile states? And, what effect does the perception of the “other” have in the national policies of the various states in the basin? What role did the colonial period play in the formation of national hydrological elites? What prejudices do these elites bring to work? What effect do these prejudices have on conflict and cooperation in the river basin? The sixth section, Implications, discusses the implications of the case study for the field of international relations. What can the case study tell us about the contributions of the discipline? The main purpose of the case study is to find out whether disputes over access to Nile waters are a cause of conflict between the various states in the Nile basin. Naturally, the variables of cooperation, conflict, water use, and identity are framed in a natural setting that defines the hydrology of the Nile basin.
