Biography

Mark’s research on environmental policy and politics follows three themes: a) transboundary water conflict and cooperation, at international, sub-national and trans-national levels; b) water policy and social justice issues; and c) urban water supply and treatment during and immediately following armed conflict. The topics are interpreted with theory from numerous disciplines, including political economy, political ecology, justice, law, politics, and hydrology. He has a particular interest in the role that power asymmetry plays, and a geographic focus on the Middle East and Africa.

The interests have been cultivated by his role as co-lead in the London Water Research Group and the UEA Water Security Research Centre, both of which take a critical perspective at international transboundary environmental cooperation and conflict, and 'hydro-hegemony'. The activities follow a professional career in water policy, management and negotiations. Mark has worked as a humanitarian-aid water engineer in conflict and post-conflict zones, including in Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Lebanon, Iraq and the West Bank and Gaza. He consults regularly on water negotiations, policy and governance for a variety of organisations. He is author of Power and Water in the Middle East: The Hidden Politics of the Palestinian-Israeli Water Conflict (IB Tauris 2008), and contributes regularly to debates through public lectures and media pieces.

Academic Background

Mark has a B.Eng in civil engineering (1990) and an M.Sc in environmental engineering (1998) from McGill University, and a PhD in human geography from King’s College London (2006). He is an Adjunct Professor at McGill University.
 

Affiliations

UEA Water Security Research Centre – Director (intermittent since 2010)
Water International – Editorial Board, 2012
International Water Resources Association – Executive Board, 2009
GEF-Science / UNESCO Groundwater Working Group – member, 2009
UNESCO ISARM Conference 2010 – Scientific Steering Committee
Centre for the Study of Global Governance, London School of Economics, Visiting Fellow (2008-2010)
London Water Research Group – coordinator or lead (from 2006)
International Water Resources Association XIII World Water Congress, Scientific Steering Committee (2006 - 2008)
Association of American Geographers, USA (2008)
Canadian Water Resources Association, Canada (from 2005)
Registered Engineers for Disaster Relief, London (from 2004)
International Water Resources Association, USA (from 2004)
Professional Engineers Ontario, Canada (from 1996)
Centre for Developing Area Studies, Montreal (1998 – 1999)
Ingénieurs sans frontières (Engineers Without Borders), Montreal (1998 - 1999)

All Publications

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Edmunds, K., Abd Elrahman, S., Bell, D., Brainard, J., Dervisevic, S., P Fedha, T., Few, R., Howard, G., Lake, I., Maes, P., Matofari, J., Minnigh, H., Mohamedani, A. A., Montgomery, M., Morter, S., Muchiri, E., Mudau, L. S., Mutua, B. M., Ndambuki, J. M., Pond, K., Sobsey, M. D., Van der Es, M., Zeitoun, M., Hunter, P.

(2016)

Recommendations for dealing with waste contaminated with Ebola virus: a Hazard Analysis of Critical Control Points approach

in Bulletin WHO

94.

pp. 424-432

Full Text UEA Repository

(Article)


Zeitoun, M., Lankford, B., Krueger, T., Forsyth, T., Carter, R., Hoekstra, A. Y., Taylor, R., Varis, O., Cleaver, F., Boelens, R., Swatuk, L., Tickner, D., Scott, C. A., Mirumachi, N., Matthews, N.

(2016)

Reductionist and integrative research approaches to complex water security policy challenges

in Global Environmental Change

39.

pp. 143–154

Full Text UEA Repository

(Article)


Zeitoun, M., Cascão, A. E., Warner, J., Mirumachi, N., Matthews, N., Menga, F., Farnum, R.

(2016)

Transboundary water interaction III: contest and compliance

in Water International

Full Text UEA Repository

(Article)


Zeitoun, M.

(2015)

Interpretation of the Foresight report 'Migration and Global Environmental Change' for the Middle East and North Africa (until end 2011)

()


Zeitoun, M.

(2015)

The relevance of international water law to later-developing upstream states

in Water International

40.

pp. 949-968

Full Text UEA Repository

(Article)


Zeitoun, M., Eid-Sabbagh, K., Loveless, J.

(2014)

The analytical framework of water and armed conflict: a focus on the 2006 Summer War between Israel and Lebanon

in Disasters

38.

pp. 22-24

Full Text UEA Repository

(Article)


Zeitoun, M., Warner, J., Mirumachi, N., Matthews, N., Mclaughlin, K., Woodhouse, M., Cascão, A., Allan, T. (. A.

(2014)

Transboundary water justice: a combined reading of literature on critical transboundary water interaction and ‘justice’, for analysis and diplomacy

in Water Policy

16.

pp. 174-193

Full Text UEA Repository

(Article)


Zeitoun, M.

(2014)

The Web of Water Security

Wiley-Blackwell

pp. 190-208

ISBN 978-0-470-67322-5

UEA Repository

(Chapter)


Zeitoun, M.

(2014)

Controlling water for population transfer

()


Lankford, B. (ed.), Bakker, K. (ed.), Zeitoun, M. (ed.), Conway, D. (ed.)

(2013)

Water security: Principles, perspectives and practices

Routledge

ISBN 978-0415534703, 978-0415534710

UEA Repository

(Book)


Zeitoun, M.

(2013)

Global environmental justice and international transboundary waters: an initial exploration

in The Geographical Journal

179.

pp. 141-149

UEA Repository

(Article)


Zeitoun, M.

(2013)

The Influence of Narratives on Negotiations over and Resolution of the Upper Jordan River Conflict

in International Negotiation

18.

pp. 293-322

UEA Repository

(Article)


Zeitoun, M., Goulden, M., Tickner, D.

(2013)

Current and future challenges facing transboundary river basin management

in Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change

4.

pp. 331-349

Full Text UEA Repository

(Article)


Zeitoun, M., Eid-Sabbagh, K., Talhami, M., Dajani, M.

(2013)

Hydro-hegemony in the upper jordan waterscape: Control and use of the flows

in Water Alternatives

6.

pp. 86-106

UEA Repository

(Article)


Zeitoun, M.

(2013)

Rivers of strife in the Middle East - conflicts over water will exacerbate tensions

in The World Today

69.

UEA Repository

(Article)


Zeitoun, M.

(2013)

Trouble Downstream: While the fighting in Syria drags on, another danger looms ever larger

in Majalla Magazine

UEA Repository

(Article)


Zeitoun, M.

(2013)

How 'soft' power shapes transboundary water interaction

()


Zeitoun, M.

(2012)

Diplomacy for water Security

Berliner Wisserschafts-Verlag

UEA Repository

(Chapter)


Mason, M., Zeitoun, M., Mimi, Z.

(2012)

Compounding vulnerability: Impacts of climate change on palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank

in Journal of Palestine Studies

41.

pp. 38-53

Full Text UEA Repository

(Article)


Zeitoun, M., Eid-Sabbagh, K., Dajani, M., Talhami, M.

(2012)

Hydropolitical Baseline of the Upper Jordan River

()


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Key Research Interests

Political economy of transboundary environmental governance in development contexts. International and sub-national transboundary water conflict and cooperation; climate vulnerability and adaption to environmental and political change; relationships between environmental conflict, and human, state and regional security. Middle East and Africa.

Research Groups: Global Environmental Justice; UEA Water Security Research Centre

Mark’s research on environmental policy and politics follows three themes: a) transboundary water conflict and cooperation, at international, sub-national and trans-national levels; b) water policy and social justice issues; and c) urban water supply and treatment during and immediately following armed conflict. The topics are interpreted with theory from numerous disciplines, including political economy, political ecology, justice, law, politics, and hydrology. He has a particular interest in the role that power asymmetry plays, and a geographic focus on the Middle East and Africa.