The Law of International Watercourses, 3rd ed. By Stephen C. McCaffrey. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2019. 642 + xlv pages.

Abstract

The world is in urgent need of effective international rules to govern the use of freshwater resources shared by two or more states and the resolution of disputes arising from such use. International watercourseswhether rivers, lakes, or aquifersare unevenly distributed across political boundaries and are increasingly susceptible to depletion and degradation. The increasing shortage of fresh water, coupled with growing consumption demands, have led to interstate water disputes over allocation and use in practically every part of the world. Moreover, such disputes have proven difficult to resolve due to the complex hydrological and geographical characteristics of fresh water; interconnections with other economic, political, and national security interests; and the relatively weak international legal framework that is currently in place. First published in 2001, with a second edition in 2007, the third edition of Stephen C. McCaffrey's The Law of International Watercourses, made available in 2019, addresses the myriad of issues surrounding international watercourses, interstate disputes concerning their use, and the law governing both. The new edition provides a much-needed update to the previous work, reflecting the important developments that have taken place in the field over the past decade. These include, among others, the entry into force in 2014 of the Convention on the Law of the Non-navigational Uses of International Watercourses (Watercourses Convention) 1 as well as recent interstate freshwater