Blessed by several major rivers and ample rainfall, Myanmar holds vast hydropower potential. Key river sites, claimed by ethnic separatist groups in the nation’s ongoing civil way, turn hydropower development into a flashpoint of conflict. Where control of water resources is seen as both a symbol and tool of power, water fuels the cycle of violence.

In this episode of Hidden Depths, host David Michel examines water as a contributing driver of conflict in Myanmar and the Sahel before looking ahead to the future of water governance under increasing climate pressure. David is joined by Kyungmee Kim, a researcher in the Department of Peace and Conflict Research at Uppsala University; Julie Snorek, a geographer at Dartmouth College; and Nazanine Moshiri, a senior analyst at the International Crisis Group.

Join us as we delve into water at the breaking point between grievance and conflict.