Assessment of the Trust Crisis between Upstream and Downstream States of the Helmand River Basin (1973-2022): A Half-Century of Optimism or Cynicism?
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Building trust is the foundation for reliable and sustainable cooperation between upstream and downstream riparians of a shared watercourse. This research aimed to assess the challenges of trust building between upstream Afghanistan and downstream Iran on the Helmand River. Given the rapid climatic changes and the high demand for water use due to increases in population and agricultural expansion in the basin, this research argues that both nations failed to fully implement the 1973 Helmand River Treaty, which has eroded opportunities to build trust between the two riparians. Also, the paper asserts that by prioritizing national security interests over transboundary interests and by implementing a one-sided data sharing approach in practice, both Iran and Afghanistan created significant challenges for the establishment of trust between them. The paper concludes that to establish a long-lasting trust between the two neighboring states, both countries should hold themselves responsible for and committed to cooperation through a proper data sharing mechanism.
