In the News

Jeannie Sowers and Erika Weinthal contribute to After The Bombing Podcast, Episode 3: The impact of bombs on a city’s infrastructure

INEW / March 10, 2022

When explosive weapons are used in populated areas their effects tend to be indiscriminate  ...
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TIME database cited in World Bank report

The World Bank / August 23, 2021

In the Middle East and North Africa, the region with the highest levels of forced displacement, water resilience is key to long-term growth  ...
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Erika Weinthal quoted in article about the impact of environmental ruin in the Syrian conflict

World Politics Review / March 2, 2021

At war’s end, the provision of water and basic services becomes one of the most important humanitarian priorities  ...
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Jeannie Sowers and Erika Weinthal discuss their data set on infrastructure destruction in the Yemen war in the Monkey Cage

Monkey Cage / February 22, 2021

New data takes stock of the targeting of agriculture, fisheries, health care, energy and other facilities  ...
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New Security Beat blog highlights Jeannie Sowers' talk at the next wave of environmental peacebuilding event at Wilson Center

New Security Beat / February 16, 2021

New Security Beat blog highlights Jeannie Sowers' talk at the next wave of environmental peacebuilding event at Wilson Center ...
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Jeannie Sowers and Erika Weinthal publish article in Foreign Policy on how the Biden administration should prevent an ‘atrocity famine’ in Yemen

Foreign Policy / February 10, 2021

After declaring an end to U.S. support for the Saudi-led offensive, there is more the president can do  ...
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Jeannie Sowers talks about the project’s work on the targeting of civilian infrastructure and humanitarian challenges in Yemen at Wilson Center event

Wilson Center / January 27, 2021

Jeannie Sowers talks about the project’s work on the targeting of civilian infrastructure and humanitarian challenges in Yemen at Wilson Center event  ...
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Jeannie Sowers receives grant to study health impacts of infrastructure destruction in Middle East wars

UNH Today / May 20, 2020

Jeannie Sowers has received a grant to study the nexus of energy infrastructure and human health in wars in the Middle East. The project, funded by the Duke University Energy Initiative, is in conjunction with Erika Weinthal of Duke’s Nicholas School for the Environment  ...
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The water‐energy nexus in the Middle East: Infrastructure, development, and conflict

WIREs Water / April 1, 2020

Water and energy are closely linked in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) through coupled networks of infrastructure. This review explores the water‐energy nexus of infrastructure to explicate different patterns of ...
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Weinthal quoted in Foreign Policy on the absence of water in the WH Peace Plan

Foreign Policy / February 4, 2020

“What struck me when I looked at the plan is how devoid it was of a historical context. There was no recognition of the past agreements that dealt with water, or recognition of the steps that had been put into place to allow for water sharing, or recognition of water rights,” said Erika Weinthal  ...
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Jeannie Sowers wins award for study of civilian infrastructure and war in the Middle East

UNH Today / August 7, 2019

Jeannie Sowers, associate professor of political science, has been awarded a Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC) Multi-Country Fellowship for her ongoing work on civilian infrastructure and war in the Middle East. Sowers shares the ...
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Erika Weinthal on the Weaponization of Water in Conflict Settings

New Security Beat / August 2, 2019

“When you’re in a post-conflict phase, it means we really should be moving away from humanitarian assistance into development because we’ve moved along the conflict spectrum toward peace and development,” said Erika Weinthal, the Lee ...
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How Water Scarcity is Destroying Gaza

Lobe Log / August 1, 2019

The persistent humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip rarely fails to make headlines, but the political violence at the heart of the territory’s problems often obscures an evolving environmental issue with just as many implications: water scarcity. ...
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US should support environmental peacebuilding and humanitarian efforts for Palestinians

Duck of Minerva, Erika Weinthal & Jeannie Sowers / July 6, 2019

What is often referred to as environmental peacebuilding – the process of governing and leveraging the use of the environment and natural resources for building ...
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Targeting Infrastructure Undermines Livelihoods in the West Bank

New Security Beat, Erika Weinthal & Jeannie Sowers / March 12, 2019

In many Middle Eastern wars, targeting civilian infrastructure has become all too common. As we documented ...
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“Held hostage to the conflict”: Study examining the targeting of infrastructure finds ‘slow violence’ in the West Bank and ‘extensive destruction’ in Gaza

Conflict and Environment Observatory / March 1, 2019

With the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip entering its sixth decade, a peace settlement looks increasingly unlikely. A new study looks at the impacts of the prolonged occupation ...
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US study examines Israel’s ‘targeting’ of Palestinian agricultural, water and energy infrastructures

Middle East Monitor / February 20, 2019

Researchers at Duke University and the University of New Hampshire have examined how “Israel’s targeting of agricultural, water and energy infrastructures in the West Bank and Gaza Strip has had dire  ...
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Conference on “Water Diplomacy: Building Bridges for Lasting Peace”

Geneva Water Hub / November 9, 2018

The Conference will cover the multiple challenges of the nexus between water, peace and security both from the science ...
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Water at the heart of building peace

Water Front / August 31, 2018
Andreas Karlsson

The relationship between water and peace was explored during three Political drivers for sustainable ecosystems sessions yesterday. With ...
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The New Middle Eastern Wars: To Protect Civilians, Protect Environmental Infrastructure

New Security Beat / October 24, 2017
Jeannie Sowers, Erika Weinthal & Neda Zawahri

Six years of brutal warfare have destroyed basic infrastructure in Yemen, Libya, and Syria. While U.S. and European governments ...
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Environmental infrastructure a potent weapon in warfare

Nature Middle East / September 30, 2017
Kira Walker

The targeting of environmental infrastructure in war has become an end in itself, with long-term implications for human welfare and ecosystems. ...
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Environment, Conflict, Law

UNH Today / September 25, 2017
Rory O'Neil

The destruction of essential infrastructure. Cholera outbreaks. A public health crisis.

Any one of these might seem overwhelming, but these are just some of the issues that make up the day-to-day reality throughout conflict zones in Yemen and Syria. This state of affairs, seemingly so far-removed from ...
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