The Most Precious Thing on Earth Term Paper by scribbler

The Most Precious Thing on Earth
Describing this as a warning of things to come, this paper discusses how the power of water, or the lack of it, can impact on a society.
# 153388 | 2,661 words | 7 sources | APA | 2013 | US
Published on May 28, 2013 in Anthropology (Cultural) , Political Science (General) , Environmental Studies (General)


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Description:

This paper explains the importance of water to the world and examines the social, cultural, and economic dynamics that took place in Bolivia as a result of their water wars. It explains that the analysis used in this paper is from a neo-liberal perspective. The paper also provides some suggestions for future research on the subject.

Outline:
History of the Water Wars
Analysis of the Dynamics of the Water War
Conclusion
Directions for Future Research

From the Paper:

''While the standard adage about telling any story is to begin at the beginning, knowing how to define the beginning of the story of the Bolivian water wars is a complex. The waters, to use a very apt pun, are muddied. In some sense, the story of water as an embattled resource in Bolivia begins with widespread human settlement of a country that is arid, and certainly the long view is important to take because had water not always been scarce in the country, the modern struggles over it would not have occurred.
''The proximal cause of the water wars, with its roots in the ancient past, however was the direct result of the policies of the neo-liberal politics of the Bolivian government, the reaction of many Bolivians to changes in long-standing policies about access to water, and international protests about these changes. In 2000, residents of Cochabamba protested the privatization of water, breaking with long-established traditions. The protest was (for the region) strikingly effective, with the citizens of the region forcing both the U.S. corporation Bechtel along with Bolivia's neo-liberal government to back down from their attempt to privatize water. This in turn prompted a series of other mass protests over other issues, such as oil rights.
''The genesis of the water wars in Bolivia - which have become the most well-known and arguably the most dramatic example worldwide of political contests over proposals or attempts to privatize water - was a move by the World Bank, an organization that has had a long problematic relationship with both the rights of indigenous people as well as environmental concerns.''

Sample of Sources Used:

  • Assies, W. (2003). David versus Goliath in Cochabamba: Water Rights, Neoliberalism, and the revival of Social Protest in Bolivia. Latin American Perspectives 30(3).
  • Dangl, B. (2008). Now We Have Made History: Bolivia Rejects Neoliberalism. Retrieved from http://www.counterpunch.org/dangl10242008.html.
  • The Democracy Center. Retrieved from http://www.democracyctr.org/bechtel/waterbills/index.htm.
  • Gill, L. (2000). Teetering on the Rim, Global Restructuring, Daily Life, and the Armed Retreat of the Bolivian State. New York: Columbia University Press.
  • Grossman, V. (2004). Retrieved from http://academic.evergreen.edu/g/grossmaz/VANOVEDR/

Cite this Term Paper:

APA Format

The Most Precious Thing on Earth (2013, May 28) Retrieved November 28, 2023, from https://www.academon.com/term-paper/the-most-precious-thing-on-earth-153388/

MLA Format

"The Most Precious Thing on Earth" 28 May 2013. Web. 28 November. 2023. <https://www.academon.com/term-paper/the-most-precious-thing-on-earth-153388/>

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