The General Assembly of the United Nations declared the years from 2005 to 2015 the "International Decade of Water". During this period, the U.N. intends to devote special efforts to guarantee access to water to all human beings and future generations.  Today we are faced with a daily, widespread and systematic violation of the right to water. There are many interrelated aspects at play in this situation. Environmental, political, economic, legal, historical, social and cultural perspectives represent different keys to interpret water issues and the difficulties faced by a large section of the world population in accessing it. This volume is part of the project called "Water: a common asset of humanity, a right for all" which includes a broad range of international initiatives directed to promoting a culture of water as a common asset, and an opportunity to participate in an act of active citizenship based on cooperation and solidarity with all the people of the world.   Water and conflicts is divided into five chapters:  1. Water as an Economic Factor: the Development of Scarcity 2. Water as a Strategic Factor: an Overview 3. H2O: Wars, Conflicts, Cooperation  4. Current Scenarios  5. In Perspective