Renaissance Dam, Water Cause and Egyptian National Security

Summary

The study proceeds from the fact that the water issue is one of the most significant strategic challenges to Arab national security, in light of numerous considerations, including the predominance of the desert nature in Arab countries on the one hand, and the fact that the main sources of the key Arab rivers are located in non-Arab countries, such as the Nile River, the main source of water in Egypt and Sudan, basically stems from Ethiopia. However, the issue has become more serious with Ethiopia’s construction of a number of dams on the river, most prominently the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) project, and the use of water as a card of political pressure against Egypt and Sudan, with regional and international extensions and interventions, which deepens the crisis and escalates the gravity of the challenge.