sustainability Case Report Water Conflicts in Central Asia: Some Recommendations on the Non-Conflictual Use of Water José Antonio Peña-Ramos 1,2,* , Philipp Bagus 3 and Daria Fursova 4 1 Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Universidad Autónoma de Chile, Providencia 7500912, Chile 2 Department of Political Science and Public Administration, Faculty of Political Sciences and Sociology, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain 3 Department of Applied Economics I, History and Economic Institutions and Moral Philosophy, Social and Legal Sciences Faculty, Rey Juan Carlos University, 28033 Madrid, Spain;
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[email protected]; Tel.: +34-6-5721-9669 Abstract: Central Asian states, where freshwater is a strategic resource, are oriented towards regional conflict rather than cooperation. First, the article analyses the role of the unequal distribution of freshwater that has been generating conflicts in Central Asia in the post-Soviet period. Next, these conflicts are examined. Finally, we provide some recommendations on the non-conflictual use of water. Keywords: water conflicts; freshwater; water resources; Central Asia; geopolitics; water resource management; responsible use of scarce resources; non-conflictual; recommendations Citation: Peña-Ramos, J.A.; Bagus, P.; 1. Introduction Fursova, D. Water Conflicts in Central Freshwater is a strategic natural resource in any region of the world, and this is espe- Asia: Some Recommendations on the cially true for the Central Asian region, which currently comprises five former constituent Non-Conflictual Use of Water. republics of the Soviet Union: Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Kyr- Sustainability 2021, 13, 3479.