A HAPPY-ENDING STORY. Unity Dam is a perfect example of what Xxxxxx calls “cooperation under a violent context”; or, quoting the realist Lowi, it is an example of “second level cooperation” over water, which is possible even if at a top-regional level there are still no agreements on red-line issues. During the last 60 years the Unity Dam has been used as a political , security and military target, depending on the “opportunisation”28 of the context. In a very violised context, as the pre-‘67 war, the Dam “took part” to the conflict and was included into the issues of the war. However, in less-conflictual times, the Dam has been realised in a sound manner, without any particular heavy repercussion on the regional water balance, under the implementation of legitimate peace treaties. Following the interpretation of the Copenhagen Security School, the Unity Dam represents a good example of how perceptions of security may vary in relation to time, circumstances, political leaders and political “opportunities”. The Unity Dam is a good example of how the contextual events of a region have shaped the destiny of a water project.The water facilities bombed during the 60s by Israel were part of the “security idea” of the Israeli leaders. This “security idea” was shaped by certain ideologies and beliefs about the meaning of water and , consequently, the agricultural sector in the new-born Hebrew State. The idea of “new Hebrew” was strictly linked to the concept 28 See Warner and the concept of opportunisation in Zeitoun 2004 and Xxxxxxx 1998. of the Land which had been promised to him since centuries. For this reason water was so important in the leaders’ ideology. Water policies in 2004 are different; other options are viable and practicable. Israel is much more modern. Recently29 it was able to reduce water consumes when sever draughts happened. The Unity Dam, which was considered a massive solution in the 60s, is now not much more than a small help , compared to the water needs of contemporary Israel and Jordan. The securitisation process was, thus, reversible and, if the term is not so inappropriate, it can be considered a “happy ending water story”. It is a happy story because just few months ago (February 2004) it has been completely gone “out of the tunnel” of the securitisation continuum. With this expression -out of the tunnel- I simply mean that Unity Dam has come back to the “non-politicised” status after more that 50 years. Now it is being treated as a pure technical agreement...
