The majority of the people, however, are tired of conflict and yearn for constructive ways to apply their energies and talents toward a better future for them and their children. No mere diplomatic or political formula can provide a lasting solution to this quandary unless it addresses the complex environmental circumstances that gave rise to it. At the core of the problem is the issue of fresh water. Most of the region's waters do not lie in the exclusive domain of one country or another but run across hydrologically arbitrary boundaries. Hence most of the countries cannot wrest additional supplies to answer the needs of their burgeoning populations without encroaching upon the resources of their neighbours.
Troubled waters abound in the Middle East.
Rivalries over water are endemic, but they are not insoluble. Indeed, the common need for water provides a challenge and an opportunity for regional cooperation that can result in a net gain for all. The necessary action can be more effective if carried out conjointly. The twin rivers The Tigris and Euphrates have their common origin in the highlands of Eastern Anatolia in Turkey, where they receive abundant amounts of rain and snow. The Euphrates and its tributaries are Syria's major water source, on which rests that country's main hopes for increasing agricultural production to an extent commensurate with its population growth.