Water Conflict at the Us Mexico Border
Title: Show how the concepts of territory and flow help us understand the conflict over water in the Mexico-US Border region.
Introduction
It is an essential component of human behaviour to seek to control and defend the spaces we live in. Territories are a way of bringing order, control and borders to society. Territorial ordering awards spaces exclusivity and cultural sovereignty, making them exclusive and defendable (Albert et al, 1999).
In a world of increasing globalisation notions of borderless worlds created by limitless and unregulated flow of goods, populations, information and technology across territories of culture, power and resources are being discussed as a possible solution for existing border conflicts and human inequality; Other ideologists prefer the reterritorialisation of society in order not to lose cultural and historical identities and to avoid regional segregation (Yiftachel, 2001; Williams, 2005).
Borders are historical artefacts which change over time and draw a clear line between the rules, laws and social patterns of different countries. While they do not separate cultural territories and identities, the vicinity yet separation between opposing nations often produces a particular kind of society along border regions. In such regions, commerce, dialogue and maintenance of identities and cultures are of a much higher importance than elsewhere (Yiftachel, 2001). Territories, marked by resources, cultural heritage, history or simply ideology, are not subject to legal borders (Newman, 2005). The conflict of territory and flow and the dispute about the extent to which they should be regulated to secure the best possible outcome for all neighbouring nations is vastly evident along the US-Mexico Border. Following, this essay will examine the history and presence of the US border conflict with emphasis on the role of water in the disputes of territory and flow.
The US-Mexico border is the most frequently crossed international border in the
Introduction
It is an essential component of human behaviour to seek to control and defend the spaces we live in. Territories are a way of bringing order, control and borders to society. Territorial ordering awards spaces exclusivity and cultural sovereignty, making them exclusive and defendable (Albert et al, 1999).
In a world of increasing globalisation notions of borderless worlds created by limitless and unregulated flow of goods, populations, information and technology across territories of culture, power and resources are being discussed as a possible solution for existing border conflicts and human inequality; Other ideologists prefer the reterritorialisation of society in order not to lose cultural and historical identities and to avoid regional segregation (Yiftachel, 2001; Williams, 2005).
Borders are historical artefacts which change over time and draw a clear line between the rules, laws and social patterns of different countries. While they do not separate cultural territories and identities, the vicinity yet separation between opposing nations often produces a particular kind of society along border regions. In such regions, commerce, dialogue and maintenance of identities and cultures are of a much higher importance than elsewhere (Yiftachel, 2001). Territories, marked by resources, cultural heritage, history or simply ideology, are not subject to legal borders (Newman, 2005). The conflict of territory and flow and the dispute about the extent to which they should be regulated to secure the best possible outcome for all neighbouring nations is vastly evident along the US-Mexico Border. Following, this essay will examine the history and presence of the US border conflict with emphasis on the role of water in the disputes of territory and flow.
The US-Mexico border is the most frequently crossed international border in the
References: Albert, M., Jacobson, D. and Lapid, Y. (1999) Identities, Borders, Orders: New Directions in International Relations Theory Helmore, E. (2012) ‘Young men in Mexico say the US no longer offers them a better future’, The Guardian, 25 April [Online]. Available at http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/apr/25/young-men-mexico-us-future (Accessed on 21 February 2013). Leone, C Newman, D. (2005) World Society, Globalization and a Borderless World: The contemporary significance of borders and territory. World Society Focus Paper Series, World Society Foundation, Zurich. Problete, J Williams, J. (2005) ‘Pluralism, solidarism and the emergence of world society in English school theory ', International Relations, vol. 19, 19-38. Yiftachel, O. (2001) `The homeland and nationalism ', In The Encyclopaedia of Nationalism, Vol 1., Academic Press. Pp. 359-383.