Intensifying competition for scarce water resources, the result of rapid population growth and the drive for economic development, has added to the precarious politics of the Middle East and has the potential to generate tension and even armed conflict. Rivers of Contention provides an historical perspective on these complex issues and chronicles the present state of Middle Eastern water disputes. The impact of water disputes on the Middle East peace process is examined, as are the disputes over the waters of the Nile, the Tigris-Euphrates and the Orontes. Ground-water shared by Middle Eastern states (such as the aquifer beneath the Saudi-Jordanian border) and issues of quality (pollution) and quantity (volumes of water) are also discussed.