Hydropower in Asia: Spinning a Dependence and Interdependence Binary

The article seeks to put forward a dynamic conception of construction of issues and their resolution, largely falling under the theoretical rubric of constructivism. The hydropower issues on the Asian continent pertaining to transboundary rivers construct a dynamic binary of dependence and interdependence. Instead of being permanently resolved, as suggested by epistemic community proponents, the issues follow a Hegelian dialectical ontology of problem to solution leading to a new problem. The organisation of the article, built around two foci, India and China, is elliptical. Both countries share transboundary rivers with a number of countries. Most bilateral agreements are, when signed, hailed as the dawn of a new era, before themselves becoming contentious, spawning a new cycle of accusations and counter-accusations. River water issues generate a complex binary of dependence and interdependence, played along the intersection of domestic and international.