Securitizing Shared Waters: A Thematic Analysis of Iran-Afghanistan Hydropolitics Over the Helmand River Basin

Tasleem Malik

doi:10.54418/ca-98.272

Authors

Tasleem Malik Assistant Professor, Centre of International Peace and Stability (CIPS), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad, Pakistan. Email: tasleem.malik@cips.nust.edu.pk ORCiD: 0000-0002-9555-5564

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54418/ca-98.272

Keywords:

Helmand River, Hirmund, Transboundary waters, Hamouns, Hydropolitics

Abstract

This paper investigates the securitization of the Helmand River Basin by analyzing Iranian and Afghan media narratives form from January 2021 to August 2023. The conflict over water between Afghanistan and Iran dates back to the 19th century and has remained a source of tension in the relations between the two riparian states. This conflict has become particularly pronounced in the context of the recent water crisis in Iran and the construction of dams and infrastructure in Afghanistan. Drawing on securitization theory and Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis, this study analyzes how both countries frame water as a political and security issue. A dataset of 70 news stories from three leading Iranian newspapers ISNA, IRNA and Tehran Times) and three Afghan outlets (Tolo News, The Kabul Times, and Pajhwok) reveals three dominant securitizing themes: ‘legal rights and treaty compliance’, ‘water infrastructure development’, ‘environmental and human security’. The findings demonstrate that while Iran emphasizes legal compliance and environmental catastrophe from reduced water flows, Afghanistan frames dam development as essential to national sovereignty and survival under drought conditions. These competing narratives obscure opportunities for cooperative engagement and escalate bilateral tensions, particularly following the Taliban’s August 2021 takeover. This study concludes with an argument that de-securitization and transnational water governance mechanisms are critical for regional stability in the context of climate change and water scarcity in the region.

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