Christopher Ward is Honorary Research Fellow at the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter. He was educated at Whitgift, and at St John's College, Oxford and St Antony's College Oxford. Formerly with the World Bank, working largely in the field of natural resource management and rural development in the Middle East and Africa, he is currently consultant to a number of international organizations, including the World Bank and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. He has lived in Yemen, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Somalia, as well as Kenya, Madagascar and the USA. He is the author of The Water Crisis in Yemen: Managing Extreme Water Scarcity in the Middle East (I.B.Tauris, 2015). Sandra Ruckstuhl is a social development specialist who works with the World Bank, United Nations and US Government to improve conflict sensitivity of international development and humanitarian aid initiatives in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. She has specialized field experience supporting water and natural resource management projects, and has conducted analysis and provided operational guidance for programmes in more than 20 countries. She holds a PhD in Conflict Analysis and Resolution. She currently serves as Senior Social Specialist, Global Water Practice, World Bank, supporting programs in fragile, conflict-affected and transboundary contexts, and as Program Manager for the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network's USA Sustainable Cities Initiative.
`Nowhere does water play a greater role in the social, economic and political dynamics of nations than in the water-scarce Middle East and North Africa region, whose stability and prosperity matter greatly for global stability, evidenced by recent and current events ... If you want to increase your general knowledge of the region and the challenges it faces, or to understand specifically how water impacts its vulnerable societies today, or to assess the risks to other societies that may face similar impacts in our rapidly changing world, and to examine potential solutions - read this unique book.' - Professor David Grey, University of Oxford and University of Exeter, `Water scarcity is scary. Global experience shows that water scarcity can be mitigated. This book exposes the extreme version of water scarcity faced by the people and economies of the Middle East and North Africa. It also provides an authoritative account of the diverse technical and institutional measures that have enabled versions of sustainable water security to be enjoyed in most of the economies of the region.'- Professor Tony Allan, King's College London and SOAS, University of London, `The authors weave three inextricably intertwined stories together to craft a comprehensive and nuanced portrait of the situation ... Their combined years of practical experience are on display both in the breadth of the material that they cover, and also in the telling case studies that bring their examples to life. Starting with challenges , then shifting to options , and finally to an agenda for change , the authors leave the readers with a sense of hope for this fragile region, and offer governments and development partners a detailed path forward.' - Professor Aaron Wolf, Oregon State University