The Rising Waters of the Caspian Sea and Possibilities for International Cooperation

Abstract

If the waters of Lake Leman were rising 10 cm a year, the riparians, France and Switzerland, would not find it very difficult to cooperate in searching for ways to deal with the problem. Why? Several reasons may easily be identified. First, there has been a long established and very stable arrangement regarding almost all questions of an international nature pertaining to the lake between France and Switzerland. Furthermore, there is no major set of outstanding questions between the two countries in areas other than the lake. France and Switzerland have been in existence as independent states, as full members of the international community of nations for a long time, whatever major conflict-laden issues may have existed between them have been resolved a long time ago, giving way to an overall stability in their relationship.