The Truth of the Matter

Hidden Depths: Water as a Resource and a Weapon

Mar 25, 2025

David Michel, a Senior Fellow at CSIS, explores the critical intersection of water security and global conflict. He highlights how water scarcity drives tensions in regions like Ethiopia and Egypt, and discusses its role as both a conflict trigger and a potential tool for cooperation. Michel also emphasizes the urgent need for innovative water management solutions to prevent violence and the significant investment required for global water security. The conversation reveals the broader implications of water issues on U.S. geopolitical and economic interests.

24:13

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David Michel

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Quick takeaways

Water scarcity can trigger conflicts and be used as a weapon, highlighting the geopolitical risks associated with inadequate water management.

Global economic output heavily relies on water resources, emphasizing the need for sustainable practices to ensure equitable access and reduce pressures.

Deep dives

The Global Importance of Water Security

Water is crucial for sustaining global economies and societies, impacting food production, energy generation, and overall quality of life. However, water resources are increasingly under pressure, with billions lacking access to safely managed drinking water and sanitation. The economic value of water ecosystems is staggering, estimated at $58 trillion annually, which represents 60% of global GDP. These statistics underline the critical importance of effective water management and the geopolitical risks associated with water scarcity and access.

Intro

3min

Water Wars: Conflicts and Cooperation

9min

Tensions Over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam

3min

Innovating Water Management for Peace

5min

The Evolving Role of the U.S. in Global Water Management

5min

Water is essential to global society, for everything from drinking and growing food to producing energy and cultural practices. 40 percent of the world’s workforce works in sectors that rely on water, and water counts for $58 trillion in global economic output each year.

But while the industrialized world can take water access for granted, water resources around the world are increasingly under stress. Billions of people lack access to safely managed sanitation systems and drinking water, and as this critical resource grows increasingly scarce, it is becoming a trigger for, weapon in, and casualty of global conflicts.

CSIS’s David Michel, senior fellow for water security in the CSIS Global Food and Water Security Program, joins the podcast to discuss global water conflict and the risks that water security poses to U.S. geopolitical and economic interests.

Listen to Hidden Depths, a new podcast from the CSIS Global Food and Water Security Program, here: https://www.csis.org/podcasts/hidden-depths

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The Truth of the Matter

Hidden Depths: Water as a Resource and a Weapon

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Deep dives

The Global Importance of Water Security

Water as a Tool and Trigger for Conflict

Strategies for Mitigating Water Conflicts

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts