GEO- power and borders

• The Gerd is expected to generate over 5,000 megawatts of electricity, doubling the nation's electricity output when it is fully completed.
• The Ethiopian government insists it will transform the national economy, which has been severely damaged by drought and war, when it is fully operational.
• Providing water is the main demand of Egyptian people.
• The £3.8 billion dam has been a source of contention between Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan since 2011.
• Egypt demands its water rights through negotiation and patience, is still able to provide water to citizens even if it comes at a high cost.
• The so-called Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (Gerd) is Africa's biggest hydroelectric project to date.
• Absence of water- famine and drought.
• The high dam is a fortress of safety for egyptians.
• From the start in 2011 the dam has been built around the blue nile as it continued to flow through the enormous building site.
• In the first year the gerd retained 4 billion cubic metres of water.
• Whoever controls the water controls the land.
• 20,000 people in Ethiopia will be displaced.
• Egypts water reserve in the high dam is good.
• The reservoir behind the dam will fill naturally during the blue nile's rainy season.
• Both countries have been vying for a deal with Ethiopia over the filling and operation of the dam, but negotiations have failed to make headway.
• Egypt has one of the lowest per capita shares of water in the world, some 660 cubic metres a person.
• Egypt relies almost entirely on the Nile for water supply, this dam is therefore seen as an existential issue.
• Egypt sees the Gerd as having the potential to threaten its very existence.
• Sudan and egypt fear the project could reduce their share of Nile waters.
• At the moment the difference between high water and low water level in Sudan is 8m, and that makes its vast irrigation projects harder to manage.
• Egypt therefore wants a guarantee of a certain volume of water coming into Egypt.
• Last year, sudans water supply was disrupted by the fillingf of the dam.
• Egypt, which lies downstream and depends almost completely on the Nile for its irrigation and drinking water, is worried this will affect the levels of water flowing into the country.
• The dam is 300% over-sized and will produce 2,000 megawatts, not 6,000.
• During the filling process, Egypt can compensate for a loss of water by releasing more from the High Aswan Dam, but the concern comes once the Gerd is fully operational.
• Ethiopia has been diverting Nile water to fill a vast reservoir behind the dam.</flashcard
• Egypt wants a guarantee of a certain volume of water.
• More than half of the turbines will be rarely used as it has been designed for a peak flow rate that only happens during the 2-3 months of the rainy season.
• The dam is built on the blue Nile tributary, Ethiopia.
• Ethiopia has been diverting Nile water to fill a vast reservoir behind the dam.
• In the last 3 decades, there have been significant changes in the international order, the character of conflict, and technology and its effect on society.
• The 1648 Peace of Westphalia introduced the principle of territorial integrity, state sovereignty, and the balance of power, marking the end of 30 years of war.
• The United Nations Charter, found in Article 2(4), states that all members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state.
• Demographic trends in Western Europe include an ageing population and a declining workforce, while in the Middle East and North Africa, there is a youthful population and a rise in conflict.
• Age/gender imbalance can increase social and political tension.
• Urbanisation and automation can increase the urban population and the magnitude of humanitarian crises, while increasing automation can decrease jobs and social tensions.
• Resource scarcity can increase demand for food and water, leading to scarcity and conflict.
• Environmental hazards can impact LICs and LEDCs.
• Factors contributing to the erosion of sovereignty include military power, economic globalisation, social separatism, ethnic/tribal divisions, and political trends.
• The erosion of sovereignty factors can make it difficult to respond to attacks when military power is low, and can weaken the power of national governments.