The Geopolitics of Water in Latin America: How the Second HSE Water Workshop Unfolded

On February 19, 2026, the Centre for Water Resources Research at the HSE Institute for Economics of Natural Resources and Climate Change held its second monthly Water Workshop, dedicated to the geopolitics of water in Latin America. Experts discussed how the growing interest of global powers in the region is linked to access to freshwater resources and how realistic the scenario of “water wars” might be.

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The second Water Workshop was held online and focused on how the intensification of geopolitical interest in Latin America—including from the United States—relates to questions of freshwater access, and why control over water resources is becoming one of the key elements on the region’s foreign policy agenda.

The keynote address was delivered by Thiago Rodrigues, Professor at the Institute of Strategic Studies at Fluminense Federal University (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil). In his presentation, he outlined different approaches to water governance, ranging from proposals for the internationalisation of water resources to arguments in favour of strengthening US geopolitical influence in the region. The speaker analysed how water-related issues are embedded within the broader context of global competition for strategic resources.

Particular attention was paid to the extent to which the threat of “water wars” in Latin America is realistic, and what measures regional states can take to safeguard their water reserves. The discussion addressed not only potential external pressures but also internal challenges, including the commercialisation of water resources, ecosystem degradation, and the deterioration of water quality as a result of agribusiness activities.

The seminar discussant, Fyodor Alekseev, an expert at the Centre for Water Resources Research, provided commentary on the report. He emphasised that the geopolitics of water in Latin America is less about absolute resource depletion and more about questions of political economy and the institutional capacity of states. In his view, the likelihood of interstate “water wars” in the region is structurally lower than, for example, in the Nile Basin or in certain parts of South Asia. Latin America is characterised by more institutionalised diplomatic traditions and fewer acute asymmetries between upstream and downstream countries sharing transboundary rivers.

The seminar was moderated by Anastasia Likhacheva, Dean of the Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs at HSE University and Director of the Centre for Water Resources Research. She noted that the water factor is becoming an increasingly significant component of sustainable development and regional security in Latin America.

During the Q&A session, comments were also provided by Alexander Martusevich, a researcher specialising in water governance and a consultant to the OECD. He stressed that ensuring water security at the regional level requires institutionalised cooperation and the establishment of sustainable monitoring mechanisms at the level of transboundary river basins.

Participants in the seminar included representatives from the University of Brasília (Brazil) and the Institute of Latin America of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The seminar served as a platform for expert exchange on issues of water security, international competition, and prospects for regional cooperation in Latin America.