La grande hydraulique au service du pouvoir : l’exemple du Projet de l’Euphrate en Syrie (1966-2013)

Abstract

Although mass protests swept across most of Syria as from March 2011, the Euphrates Project lands, a set of large-scale hydro-agricultural developments, remained relatively peaceful with a small number of registered protests against the Syrian Regime. The purpose of this article is two-fold: first we point out to the difference observed between this region and others via the reading of demonstration pattern in Syria; and secondly we explore the political and economic history of this region in order to hypothesise on power relations between central Baathist state and inhabitants of the Project areas.

Keywords

• planning
• agriculture
• irrigation
• political geography
• Euphrates