Abeer R.Y. Abazeed Phd Reseacher, Leiden University Epistemic Community in the Eastern Nile Basin: Promoting the Basin Cooperation or National Interests? Abeer R.Y. Abazeed Phd Reseacher, Leiden University

The Nile politics is deeply dependent on scientists who feed decision makers with the possibility of cooperation and the framework of negotiations.

Current Challenge 1967 Hydromet project 1992 TECCONILE 1999 ENTRO NELSAP-CU Current Challenge

Outline 1- The role of scientists in international relations. 2- Epistemic community. 3- Maps of the network of published articles on GERD.

1-The global environmental challenges and state capability eco-migrants controlling nation resources legitimacy State Sovereignty

Cooperating with non-state actors Ecological Interdependence Borderless environmental change Limited resilient capabilities Regime Complex competing states' interests Access to new information

2- Epistemic community: characteristics and purposes "… a network of professionals with recognized expertise and competence in a particular domain and an authoritative claim to policy-relevant knowledge within that domain or issue-area“ (Peter Haas ,1992, 3)

normative and causal beliefs Characteristics Purposes sharing normative and causal beliefs validity of knowledge common policies State & social POWER Uncertainty + complexity

Typologies of scientific collectives on regional level To create scientific platforms Exchange ideas and analysis Independent To support decision making in the regional institution By Regional Institution to produce new regional governance model to amend or develop the existing one. scientists themselves or scientific organizations by the regional institution as a task force to develop certain data and knowledge Techno-scientific

3- Maps of the network of published articles on GERD Methodology Results Web of science (WoS) Core Collection is citation indexes that cover both natural and social sciences. the software VOSviewer. the keyword "Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam" 2011-2017 26 documents: articles, proceeding papers, editorial materials and reviews; however, the articles are the main bulk. The first document was published in 2014

Co-authorship by country

Citation by organizations

co-occurrence of all words in the documents

The international scientific publications on GERD, the current challenge in the Nile, indicate the absence of epistemic community representing the Eastern Nile Basin. However, the map of published documents shows the centrality of Ethiopian organizations which have many links with other international organizations

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