Relative Deprivation, a Silent Driver in Hydropolitics: Evidence from Afghanistan-Iran Water Diplomacy

This paper aims to unpack the affective factors in Afghanistan–Iran water conflict dynamics. It examines
the role played by the feeling of relative deprivation (RD) (that is, riparian states’ subjective perception of their
relative position) in conflicts over shared water resources. The model of RD-mediated hydropolitics is
conceptualised through its application to Afghanistan-Iran water diplomacy by conducting process tracing and
content analysis. The results reveal that Afghanistan’s domestic issues have led to a feeling of RD in its water sharing
relations with Iran. Afghans’ feeling of RD has led to negative emotions and responses, which have in turn influenced
decisions regarding their domestic use of transboundary waters and their withholding of water from downstream
users. The RD feeling within Afghan society has a contributory role in hydro-infrastructural developments and the
resultant desire on the part of government to meet societal expectations, notably within the Helmand/Hirmand
River Basin. These responses aim to alleviate the RD feeling but have evoked social and political reactions as well as
emotionally charged verbal disputes and water conflicts between riparian states. The research findings emphasise
that RD feeling as a subjective and affective factor can subtly influence transboundary water behaviours, politics
and diplomacy