Non-Traditional Security Threats and Regional Stability: Case Study of Indus Water Treaty

Abstract

The non-traditional threats to health security observed globally have come into a more prominent focus in the context of international and regional security as climate change, pandemics, resource shortage, and environmental degradation have all been acknowledged as critical to the global security environment. Examples of non-traditional threats that pose critical challenges especially in the areas with trans-boundary rivers include water security. The research article discusses the non-traditional security issue of water security in South Asia by analyzing using a secondary data the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) between India and Pakistan. The paper employs a thematic analysis of the literature on the matter, treaty documents, policy reports and institutional assessments to show that the IWT has operated as a stabilizing mechanism by bringing the countries through cooperative efforts across a system of strategic importance along with constant political tensions. However, water problems are becoming politicized, there is increased variability in climate changes, demographic expansion, infrastructure advancements and so forth. The researcher draws a conclusion that the reforms to the institutional strategies are adaptive and important to make the treaty remain relevant to the regional stability under the influence of changes in the non-traditional security threats.