The Stimson Center is pleased to release

Mekong Turning Point:
Shared River for a Shared Future

A new publication from Stimson’s Mekong Policy Project, by project director Richard Cronin and Tim Hamlin.

This timely report analyzes the dynamics of the proposed construction of hydropower dams on the mainstream of the Mekong River in Southeast Asia, a vital natural resource shared by six countries whose water resources are being exploited for their near-term economic value rather than being sustainably developed.  Commercial, energy and revenue interests are being pitted against the dependence of millions of people on the existing “environmental services” of the river for their food security and livelihoods.

Yet something is changing. Plans for the construction of dams on the Lao, Lao-Thai, and Cambodian stretches of the river have encountered obstacles that have surprised both opponents and proponents of the projects.  The report provides three main explanations for a potential turning point that could enhance the prospects for more effective regional water cooperation, all of which relate to the potentially game-changing political economy of developing a transboundary resource with inequitable costs and benefits.

The report cautions, however, that whether the current suspension of the Xayaburi project will be a permanent turning point depends critically on follow-up action by the MRC, its member countries, donor countries and the multilateral banks to fund the studies necessary for decision makers to fully understand the risks and uncertainties of mainstream dams.

Click here to read and download the Mekong Turning Point at Stimson site.

Click here to read and download the Mekong Turning Point at dotchuoinon.com .

To schedule an interview or receive more information about the Mekong Turning Point, or Stimson’s Southeast Asia Program, please contact April Umminger, deputy director of communications at aumminger@stimson.org or 202 478 3442; to speak directly with Richard Cronin, co-author and director of the Southeast Asia Program, email rcronin@stimson.org, or call 202 478 3436.