Whilst the West is fixated on oil prices, it overlooks a far more serious reality: the extreme vulnerability of the drinking water supply in the Gulf region.

Over 100 million people in the GCC rely on desalination plants – in countries such as Kuwait, this figure stands at around 90 per cent. This infrastructure is not a luxury, but a vital lifeline. And it is vulnerable.

Nevertheless, a familiar narrative continues to dominate the reporting: energy, markets, oil prices. What is missing is the same sense of urgency when it comes to water. Yet the question is actually simple – and uncomfortable:

In a crisis, which is more systemically important – oil for the markets or water for survival?

The current attacks on desalination plants show how quickly geopolitical tension can turn into a humanitarian crisis. Some cities in the Gulf have water reserves lasting only a few days. If this infrastructure fails, it is not just the supply but the stability of entire states that is at stake.

The fact that this risk receives so little international attention is no coincidence, but rather a reflection of distorted priorities. Energy is understood as a strategic asset – water, apparently, still is not.

Yet a rethink is needed right now:

The protection of critical water infrastructure belongs at the heart of security policy debates – not on the sidelines.

For economic losses can be offset without oil.

Without water, there is no time for corrections.

[ML]