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Hussam Hussein

PhD

Research Staff
Research Associate, DPIR, University of Oxford
AFFILIATION
International Relations Network
College
N/A
website
hussamhussein.wordpress.com
email
hussam.hussein@politics.ox.ac.uk
other links
Twitter @hhussamhussein
Office address
Room 163, Manor Road Building, Manor Road, Oxford, OX1 3UQ

I am an academic, policy, and international development expert specialising in water diplomacy, environmental governance, and sustainable development, with a focus on transboundary water management in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. My work investigates the interplay between politics, power, and water resource allocation, emphasising how narratives and discourses shape water policies and decision-making. 

As a research associate in the Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of Oxford, I explore the role of power dynamics in water governance. In parallel, as a fellow with the Arab Reform Initiative, I examine the mobilisation of civil society organisations toward a just environmental transition and climate justice in the MENA region. My interdisciplinary approach integrates insights from political science, environmental studies, and international relations, addressing critical issues such as water scarcity, climate change impacts, and the equitable distribution of water resources.

Recognised by Stanford University as one of the top 40 Changemakers in Sustainability, I actively contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. My extensive publication record and collaborations with international organisations, policymakers, and academic institutions underscore my commitment to promoting sustainable water practices. I am a strong advocate for just regional cooperation and participatory governance, emphasising inclusive decision-making to address shared water challenges and bridge the gap between academic research and practical policy solutions.

In addition to these efforts, I have been promoting the voices of Early Career Researchers and academics from the MENA region, as well as fostering trust in science. These initiatives are central to my roles as an Executive Committee member of the Global Young Academy, a Fellow of the International Science Council, a member of the board of trustees of the Arab Council for the Social Sciences, and a Fellow of the Young Academy of Sustainability at the Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies (FRIAS).

I have also held fellowships at the American University of Beirut, the University of Kassel, and the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on “Cities of Tomorrow.” My academic journey includes a BA and MA in International Relations and Diplomacy from the University of Trieste – Gorizia (Italy), studies in Middle Eastern Studies at SOAS, University of London, and an MA in Interdisciplinary European Studies from the College of Europe. I earned my PhD at the School of International Development, University of East Anglia, with a dissertation on the discourse of water scarcity in Jordan and its implications for transboundary water governance, supported by funding from the Council for British Research in the Levant (CBRL), the Arab Council for Social Sciences (ACSS), and the Royal Geographical Society (RGS).

Beyond academia, I have worked on sustainable development and environmental governance with institutions such as the Italian Embassy in Jordan, the European Parliament, the International Finance Corporation – World Bank, UNICEF WASH Jordan, and the German Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR). I also served as Executive Director at the Royal Scientific Society of Jordan, furthering my contributions to regional development and sustainability.

Research

My research focuses on:

  • Hydropolitics (transboundary water governance, conflict and cooperation over shared water resources)

  • Role of discourses and narratives in IR

  • Construction of (water) scarcities

  • Climate change politics

  • Environmental politics

Publications

Articles

2023

Nagheeby, M. et al. (2023) “Israel’s weaponization of water: an urgent call to provide full access to water services in Gaza”. IHE Delft Institute for Water Education.

Journal Articles

2024

Letafatkar, A. et al. (2024) “Addressing long-term health impacts on vulnerable populations in Gaza”, Medicine, Conflict and Survival [Preprint].
Available at https://doi.org/10.1080/13623699.2024.2437959
Hussein, H. and Mason, O. (2024) “Preserve Petra and Bedouin rights in Jordan”, Science, 386(6724), pp. 859–860.
Available at https://doi.org/10.1126/science.ads0004
Hussein, H. and Awad, A. (2024) “Western science diplomacy must rethink its biases and treat all partners equally”, Nature, 635(8037).
Available at https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-03610-z
Hussein, H. and Schuetze, B. (2024) “Risks of Morocco’s green hydrogen plans”, Science, 386(6721), pp. 501–502.
Available at https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adr4421
Hussein, H. and Khasawneh, H. (2024) “Jordan’s green-energy vision requires refinement”, Nature, 634(8032), p. 33.
Available at https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-03198-4

2023

Hussein, H. (2023) “Stop violation of international water laws in Gaza”, Nature, 623(7986), pp. 253–253.
Available at https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-023-03461-0
Goetz, A., Hussein, H. and Thiel, A. (2023) “Polycentric governance and agroecological practices in the MENA region: insights from Lebanon, Morocco and Tunisia”, International Journal of Water Resources Development, 40(5), pp. 816–831.
Available at https://doi.org/10.1080/07900627.2023.2260902
Hussein, H. et al. (2023) “Putting diplomacy at the forefront of water diplomacy”, PLoS Water, 2(9).
Available at https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pwat.0000173
Hussein, H., Poplawsky, M. and Mohapatra, T. (2023) “The political context of change in transboundary freshwater agreements”, Environmental Science and Policy, 149.
Available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2023.103572
Sandri, S. et al. (2023) “The European Green Deal: challenges and opportunities for the Southern Mediterranean”, Mediterranean Politics [Preprint].
Available at https://doi.org/10.1080/13629395.2023.2237295
Hussein, H. and Knol, M. (2023) “The Ukraine war, food trade and the network of global crises”, The International Spectator, 58(3), pp. 74–95.
Available at https://doi.org/10.1080/03932729.2023.2211894
Schuetze, B. and Hussein, H. (2023) “The geopolitical economy of an undermined energy transition: the case of Jordan”, Energy Policy, 180.
Available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2023.113655
Hussein, H. and Ezbakhe, F. (2023) “The Water–Employment–Migration nexus: buzzword or useful framework?”, Development Policy Review, 41(3).
Available at https://doi.org/10.1111/dpr.12676
Arena, M., Guasti, A. and Hussein, H. (2023) “Can conditional cash transfers reduce vulnerability to climate change?”, Climate Policy, 23(4), pp. 462–476.
Available at https://doi.org/10.1080/14693062.2023.2183174
Hussein, H. and Al-Ajarma, K. (2023) “Exploring the framings of water scarcity in Palestinian textbooks”, Contemporary Levant, 8(1), pp. 3–15.
Available at https://doi.org/10.1080/20581831.2023.2178090

2022

Hussein, H. (2022) “Russia is weaponizing water in its invasion of Ukraine”, NATURE, 603(7903), pp. 793–793.
Available at https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-022-00863-4
Hussein, H. (2022) “Russia is weaponizing water in its invasion of Ukraine”, Nature, 603(7903), pp. 793–793.
Available at https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-022-00865-2
Hamidov, A. et al. (2022) “Operationalizing water-energy-food nexus research for sustainable development in social-ecological systems: an interdisciplinary learning case in Central Asia”, Ecology and Society, 27(1).
Available at https://doi.org/10.5751/es-12891-270112
Vojno, N. et al. (2022) “Beyond barriers: the fluid roles young people adopt in water conflict and cooperation”, Water International, 47(3), pp. 480–505.
Available at https://doi.org/10.1080/02508060.2021.2021481

2021

Wheeler, K. and Hussein, H. (2021) “Water research and nationalism in the post-truth era”, Water International [Preprint].
El Nour, S., Elaydi, H. and Hussein, H. (2021) “Thirst revolution: practices of contestation and mobilisation in rural Egypt”, Contemporary Levant, 6(2), pp. 169–184.
Available at https://doi.org/10.1080/20581831.2021.1952003
Al-Saidi, M. and Hussein, H. (2021) “The water-energy-food nexus and COVID-19: Towards a systematization of impacts and responses”., The Science of the total environment, 779, p. 146529.
Available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.146529
Donoso, G. et al. (2021) “Science—policy engagement to achieve ‘water for society—including all’”, Water, 13(3).
Available at https://doi.org/10.3390/w13030246

2020

Sandri, S., Hussein, H. and Alshyab, N. (2020) “Sustainability of the energy sector in Jordan: challenges and opportunities”, Sustainability, 122(465), pp. 1–24.
Available at https://doi.org/10.3390/su122410465
Liptrot, T. and Hussein, H. (2020) “Between regulation and targeted expropriation: rural-to-urban groundwater reallocation in Jordan”, Water Alternatives, 13(3), pp. 864–885.
Hussein, H., Conker, A. and Grandi, M. (2020) “Small is beautiful but not trendy: understanding the fallure of big hydraulic works in the Euphrates-Tigris and Nile waterscapes”, Mediterranean Politics, 27(3), pp. 297–320.
Available at https://doi.org/10.1080/13629395.2020.1799167
Hussein, H., Conker, A. and Grandi, M. (2020) “Small is beautiful but not trendy: Understanding the allure of big hydraulic works in the Euphrates-Tigris and Nile waterscapes”, Mediterranean Politics [Preprint].
Available at https://doi.org/10.1080/13629395.2020.1799167
Hussein, H. and Greco, F. (2020) “How will the COVID-19 pandemic impact food security and virtual water ‘trade’?”, Future of Food : Journal on Food, Agriculture and Society, 8(2).
Hussein, H. and Lambert, L. (2020) “A rentier state under blockade: Qatar’s water-energy-food predicament from energy abundance and food insecurity to a silent water crisis”, Water, 12(4).
Available at https://doi.org/10.3390/w12041051
Riad, P. et al. (2020) “Landscape transformation processes in two large and two small cities in Egypt and Jordan over the last five decades using remote sensing data”, Landscape and Urban Planning, 197.
Available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2020.103766
Hussein, H. et al. (2020) “Syrian refugees, water scarcity, and dynamic policies: How do the new refugee discourses impact water governance debates in Lebanon and Jordan?”, Water, 12(2).
Available at https://doi.org/10.3390/w12020325
Eufemia, L. and Hussein, H. (2020) “How did the COVID-19 crisis relate to meeting global climate targets for 2020?”, FUTURE OF FOOD-JOURNAL ON FOOD AGRICULTURE AND SOCIETY, 8(2), pp. 75–76.

2019

Conker, A. and Hussein, H. (2019) “Hydropolitics and issue-linkage along the Orontes River Basin: an analysis of the Lebanon–Syria and Syria–Turkey hydropolitical relations”, International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics [Preprint].
Available at https://doi.org/10.1007/s10784-019-09462-7
Benedict, S. and Hussein, H. (2019) “An analysis of water awareness campaign messaging in the case of Jordan: water conservation for state security”, Water, 11(6).
Available at https://doi.org/10.3390/w11061156
Talozi, S. et al. (2019) “What constitutes an equitable water share? A reassessment of equitable apportionment in the Jordan-Israel water agreement 25 years later”, Water Policy, 21(5), pp. 911–933.
Available at https://doi.org/10.2166/wp.2019.143
Hussein, H. (2019) “Water politics in Jordan: unpacking the issue and providing policy recommendations”, Bulletin for the Council for British Research in the Levant, 12(1), pp. 89–90.
Available at https://doi.org/10.1080/17527260.2017.1556953
Hussein, H. (2019) “An analysis of the framings of water scarcity in the Jordanian national water strategy”, Water International, 44(1), pp. 6–13.
Available at https://doi.org/10.1080/02508060.2019.1565436
da Silva, L. and Hussein, H. (2019) “Production of scale in regional hydropolitics: an analysis of La Plata River Basin and the Guarani Aquifer System in South America”, Geoforum, 99, pp. 42–53.
Available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2018.11.019
Conker, A. and Hussein, H. (2019) “Hydraulic mission at home, hydraulic mission abroad? Examining Turkey’s regional ‘pax-aquarum’ and its limits”, Sustainability, 11(1).
Available at https://doi.org/10.3390/su11010228
Odeh, T. et al. (2019) “Over-pumping of groundwater in Irbid governorate, northern Jordan: a conceptual model to analyze the effects of urbanization and agricultural activities on groundwater levels and salinity”, Environmental Earth Sciences, 78(1).
Available at https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-018-8031-0
Hussein, H. (2019) “The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and the Nile Basin: implications for transboundary water cooperation”, Water International, 44(1), pp. 77–80.
Available at https://doi.org/10.1080/02508060.2018.1552474

2018

Hussein, H., Menga, F. and Greco, F. (2018) “Monitoring transboundary water cooperation in SDG 6.5.2: how a critical hydropolitics approach can spot inequitable ooutcomes”, Sustainability, 10(10).
Available at https://doi.org/10.3390/su10103640
Hussein, H. (2018) “Lifting the veil: unpacking the discourse of water scarcity in Jordan”, Environmental Science and Policy, 89, pp. 385–392.
Available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2018.09.007
Hussein, H. (2018) “Tomatoes, tribes, bananas, and businessmen: an analysis of the shadow state and of the politics of water in Jordan”, Environmental Science and Policy, 84, pp. 170–176.
Available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2018.03.018
Mohammad, A. et al. (2018) “Understanding the impact of droughts in the Yarmouk Basin, Jordan: monitoring droughts through meteorological and hydrological drought indices”, Arabian Journal of Geosciences, 11(5).
Available at https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-018-3433-6
Hussein, H. (2018) “The Guarani Aquifer System, highly present but not high profile: a hydropolitical analysis of transboundary groundwater governance”, Environmental Science and Policy, 83, pp. 54–62.
Available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2018.02.005
Hussein, H. (2018) “Yarmouk, Jordan, and Disi basins: Examining the impact of the discourse of water scarcity in Jordan on transboundary water governance”, Mediterranean Politics, 24(3), pp. 269–289.
Available at https://doi.org/10.1080/13629395.2017.1418941
Pedrero, F., Aziz, F. and Hussein, H. (2018) “Mediterranean Youth for Water Network (MedYWat): Connecting the youth from the MED”, FUTURE OF FOOD-JOURNAL ON FOOD AGRICULTURE AND SOCIETY, 6(2), pp. 70–71.

2017

Hussein, H. (2017) “A critique of water scarcity discourses in educational policy and textbooks in Jordan”, Journal of Environmental Education, 49(3), pp. 260–271.
Available at https://doi.org/10.1080/00958964.2017.1373620
Hussein, H. (2017) “Whose ‘reality’? Discourses and hydropolitics along the Yarmouk River”, Contemporary Levant, 2(2), pp. 103–115.
Available at https://doi.org/10.1080/20581831.2017.1379493
Hussein, H. (2017) “Politics of the Dead Sea Canal: a historical review of the evolving discourses, interests, and plans”, Water International, 42(5), pp. 527–542.
Available at https://doi.org/10.1080/02508060.2017.1344817
Hussein, H. and Grandi, M. (2017) “Dynamic political contexts and power asymmetries: the cases of the Blue Nile and the Yarmouk Rivers”, International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics, 17(6), pp. 795–814.
Available at https://doi.org/10.1007/s10784-017-9364-y
Hussein, H. (2017) “Book review: Land and hydropolitics in the Nile River Basin: challenges and new investments”, International Journal of Water Resources Development, 33(4), pp. 680–682.
Available at https://doi.org/10.1080/07900627.2017.1299000

2016

Hussein, H. (2016) “An analysis of the discourse of water scarcity and hydropolitical dynamics in the case of Jordan”, PhD Thesis University of East Anglia [Preprint].

2015

Smith, S. et al. (2015) “Long-term Landscape, Environment and Climate Change Studies, from the Past through to Predictive Models for Future Developments”, Bulletin Of The Council For British Research In The Levant, 10, pp. 65–82.
Available at https://doi.org/10.1179/1752726015Z.00000000034

Chapters

2023

Jalani, M. and Hussein, H. (2023) “The politics of water in the case of Syria”, in New Perspectives on Transboundary Water Governance. Taylor & Francis, pp. 99–109.
Available at https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003333678-9
Salamé, L. et al. (no date) “Water Discourses”, in J. Bogardi et al. (eds.) Handbook of Water Resources Management: Discourses, Concepts and Examples. Springer Nature.

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