Research

Asia

Project

Mekong Policy Project

Reducing Risks in the Mekong Basin

Addressing the regional environmental and social impacts along the Mekong River to improve food security, stability and cross-country relations.

Project Info

As a biodiversity hotspot that is home to more than 60 million people, the Lower Mekong River Basin plays a vital role as the region’s “rice bowl,” the world’s largest freshwater fishery and provider of livelihoods. Stimson’s Mekong Policy Project interacts with a wide range of local and international NGOs, government departments, and academic institutions in addressing environmental, political, and economic challenges in the region.

We lead the discourse on transboundary effects of hydropower dams along the Mekong River, the basin’s significant impacts on regional relations, and the future of water and energy collaboration among a crowded field of regional development frameworks.

Featured

Feature ·

New Evidence: How China Turned Off the Tap on the Mekong River

China's dams held back so much water that they entirely prevented the Mekong's annual monsoon-driven rise in river level.

Latest

See all

Mekong Policy

Op-Ed ·

There’s still hope for the Mekong

Feb 16, 2021

Op-Ed ·

The struggle for the soul of the Mekong River

Jul 31, 2020

Infographic ·

Mekong Reservoirs in Yunnan Province, China

Jul 7, 2020

Infographic ·

Mekong Mainstream Dams

Jun 23, 2020

Commentary ·

Discussing China’s Dams on the Mekong

Jun 16, 2020

Op-Ed ·

In the Mekong, a Confluence of Calamities

Apr 28, 2020

Report ·

The Mekong Matters for America and America Matters for the Mekong

Apr 28, 2020

Op-Ed ·

Science Shows Chinese Dams Are Devastating the Mekong

Apr 22, 2020

Feature ·

New Evidence: How China Turned Off the Tap on the Mekong River

Apr 13, 2020

Commentary ·

Vietnam’s Evolving Strategy for Surviving COVID-19

Mar 26, 2020

Monitoring the Mekong

Maps, Imagery, & Analysis of Impacts on the River

Infographic ·

Mekong Reservoirs in Yunnan Province, China

Jul 7, 2020

Infographic ·

Mekong Mainstream Dams

Jun 23, 2020

Infographic ·

2020 Status of Lower Mekong Mainstream and Tributary Dams

Jan 10, 2020

Infographic ·

Kamphong Khleang village on the Tonle Sap, Cambodia comparison November 2017 to November 2019

Dec 1, 2019

Infographic ·

Comparing drought to normal conditions on the Mekong River along the Thai/Lao Border

Nov 30, 2019

Infographic ·

Earthquake Hits northern Laos. Can Surrounding Mekong Dams Survive the Shock?

Nov 22, 2019

Infographic ·

Cambodia’s Tonle Sap Lake Recede Earlier than Normal

Oct 16, 2019

Infographic ·

Tonle Sap Lake Finally Begins to Expand After Weakened Mekong Monsoon Pulse

Sep 25, 2019

Infographic ·

Kampong Khleang Fishing Village on Tonle Sap Still Shows Drought Conditions

Sep 11, 2019

Infographic ·

Don Sahong Dam nearly complete on Mekong in southern Laos

Aug 25, 2019

Infographic ·

When will this year’s Tonle Sap reversal occur?

Aug 15, 2019

Infographic ·

Images of China’s Jinghong Dam Show No Signs of Relief to Downstream Mekong Countries

Aug 5, 2019

Infographic ·

Xayabouri Dam and drought are exposing the Mekong riverbed downstream

Jul 17, 2019

Infographic ·

China’s Mainstream Mekong Dams

Jul 1, 2019

Infographic ·

China’s Wunonglong Dam on the Upper Mekong Filling

Mar 15, 2019

Infographic ·

The End of Cizhong Village, NW Yunnan province, China

Mar 15, 2019

Infographic ·

Hydropower Dams in Southwest China

Jan 10, 2019

Events

See all

Past

Launch of the Mekong Infrastructure Tracker

May 11, 2020

Past

Natural Resources Safeguards and Security as a Part of the Indo-Pacific Vision

Feb 24, 2020

Past

The Political Ecology of Catastrophic Disasters versus Slow Violence: Thinking about the Impacts of the Xe Pian Xe Namnoy Hydropower Dam in Southern Laos

Mar 21, 2019

Past

Letters From the Mekong; Toward a Sustainable Water-Energy-Food Future in Cambodia

Feb 13, 2019

Past

Last Days of the Mighty Mekong Book Launch

Jan 29, 2019

Past

Development and Human Rights in Cambodia

May 17, 2018

Past

Power Shift: Emerging Trends in the Greater Mekong Subregion’s Energy Sector

Jul 14, 2017

Past

Hun Sen’s Cambodia and the 2017 Commune Elections

Jun 5, 2017

Past

Letters from the Mekong: A Call for Strategic Basin-Wide Energy Planning in Laos

Oct 5, 2016

Past

Sustainable Development & River Basin Management: From the Mekong to the Mississippi

Aug 9, 2016

Past

Requiem for a River? Discussion on the Future of the Mekong

Jun 27, 2016

Past

Myanmar: A Case Study for Improving Hydropower through System-Scale Planning

Jun 9, 2016

Past

Climate Change, Drought, and the US Relationship with Vietnam

May 11, 2016

Past

The Asia-Pacific Rebalance: The Role of Development in Building a Climate-Resilient Asia

Dec 1, 2015

Past

Challenges, Opportunities, And A New Narrative On Hydropower Development

Sep 29, 2015

Past

Infrastructure in ASEAN: Opportunities and Challenges for U.S. Businesses

Jun 18, 2015

Past

Hydropower Dams on the Mekong and 3S Rivers: A Regional Environmental and Socioeconomic Perspective

Mar 27, 2015

Past

A River Changes Course

Mar 27, 2015

Past

The Politics of Chinese Hydropower Development in Southeast Asia

Mar 27, 2015

Past

After Xayaburi and Don Sahong: Time for a New Narrative on Mekong Hydropower

Mar 27, 2015

Past

Dam Dilemmas: Competing Priorities for Development of the Mekong River

Oct 8, 2014

Past

Finding Solutions to Equitable Hydropower Development Planning in the Lower Mekong Basin

Mar 27, 2014

Past

Shared River, Shared Future: Interactive Workshop on Mekong River Development

Jul 17, 2011

In the News

Op-Ed ·

There’s still hope for the Mekong

Feb 16, 2021

Op-Ed ·

The struggle for the soul of the Mekong River

Jul 31, 2020

Op-Ed ·

In the Mekong, a Confluence of Calamities

Apr 28, 2020

Op-Ed ·

Science Shows Chinese Dams Are Devastating the Mekong

Apr 22, 2020

Stimson in the News ·

Brian Eyler Speaks to Importance of the Lower Mekong Initiative

Aug 2, 2019

Stimson in the News ·

Review of Brian Eyler’s ‘The Last Days of the Mighty Mekong ‘

May 3, 2019

Stimson in the News ·

Why Is China Placing A Global Bet On Coal?

Apr 29, 2019

Stimson in the News ·

Op-Ed by Courtney Weatherby on Power Demand in Southeast Asia

Jan 14, 2019

Stimson in the News ·

Courtney Weatherby Quoted on Economies of Mekong River nations

May 9, 2018

Stimson in the News ·

Brian Eyler Interviwed on Solar on the Mekong

Apr 15, 2018

Stimson in the News ·

Brian Eyler Quoted on Mekong Solar Power

Apr 11, 2018

Stimson in the News ·

Brian Eyler Quoted on Mekong Governance

Apr 6, 2018

Stimson in the News ·

Brian Eyler Quoted on MRC Summit

Apr 5, 2018

Op-Ed ·

Jake Brunner and Brian Eyler Op-Ed on the Mekong Cooperation

Apr 2, 2018

Stimson in the News ·

Brian Eyler and Courtney Weatherby Op-Ed on Clean Energy along the Mekong

Mar 17, 2018

Stimson in the News ·

Brian Eyler Op-Ed on Tropical Neighbors Chasing Energy Goals

Feb 27, 2018

Stimson in the News ·

Brian Eyler Quoted on Smart Planning to Save the Mekong Delta

Dec 1, 2017

Stimson in the News ·

Stimson Report on Emerging Energy Trends in Mekong Subregion cited

Oct 25, 2017

Stimson in the News ·

Courtney Weatherby & Brian Eyler Quoted on Energy Alternatives in Mekong

Oct 19, 2017

Stimson in the News ·

Courtney Weatherby and Brian Eyler on Solar and Wind in Mekong

Oct 19, 2017

Stimson in the News ·

Mekong Power Shift Report cited in Article on Energy Alternatives to Hydropower in Mekong

Sep 27, 2017

Stimson in the News ·

Brian Eyler Quoted on alternative to hydro-power in Mekong

Sep 14, 2017

Stimson in the News ·

Courtney Weatherby Quoted in Mongabay on American Environmental Leadership in Cambodia

Jul 11, 2017

Stimson in the News ·

Brian Eyler’s Question on Mekong Basin to Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc

May 31, 2017

Stimson in the News ·

Brian Eyler quoted in Bangkok Post on Development in the Mekong

Jan 15, 2017

Stimson in the News ·

Brian Eyler quoted in Radio Free Asia on Water-Energy Planning in Laos

Dec 30, 2016

Stimson in the News ·

Gabriella Neusner op-ed in The Diplomat on the Mekong River Commission

Dec 7, 2016

Stimson in the News ·

“Letters from the Mekong: A Call for Strategic Basin-Wide Energy Planning in Laos” report cited in The Third Pole

Dec 5, 2016

Stimson in the News ·

Courtney Weatherby op-ed in The Diplomat on Mekong dam anxieties

Nov 22, 2016

Stimson in the News ·

Courtney Weatherby and Brian Eyler cited in Voice of America Khmer on Laos plans for dams

Nov 22, 2016

Stimson in the News ·

Brian Eyler quoted in Radio Free Asia on the Mekong River

Nov 7, 2016

Stimson in the News ·

Stimson’s Letters from the Mekong: Time for a New Narrative on Mekong Hydropower report cited in Mongabay

Oct 6, 2016

Stimson in the News ·

Courtney Weatherby quoted in VNExpress on Vietnam, Laos, and the Mekong River

Sep 27, 2016

Stimson in the News ·

Stimson’s Mekong Policy Project cited in the Associated Press

Aug 8, 2016

Stimson in the News ·

Rich Cronin, Brian Eyler and Courtney Weatherby quoted in Voice of America on Hydropower Dams and the Future of the Mekong River

Jul 28, 2016

Stimson in the News ·

Rich Cronin, Brian Eyler and Courtney Weatherby quoted in Radio Free Asia on the Future of the Mekong

Jul 11, 2016

Stimson in the News ·

Richard Cronin quoted in 112 Seo on Mekong Delta

Jun 20, 2016

Stimson in the News ·

Richard Cronin quoted in The Jakarta Post on Mekong Delta

Jun 9, 2016

Stimson in the News ·

Richard Cronin and Brian Eyler cited in Talk Vietnam on Climate Change and Water Management in Mekong Delta

Jun 3, 2016

Stimson in the News ·

Brian Eyler quoted in ClimateWire on Vietnam hydropower and food security

May 24, 2016

Stimson in the News ·

Brian Eyler quoted in Vietnam Net on the Drought in Mekong

May 16, 2016

Stimson in the News ·

Richard Cronin quoted in Farm Journal on Drought in Southeast Asia

May 12, 2016

Stimson in the News ·

Richard Cronin quoted in Nhịp Cầu Đầu Tư on the Mekong River

Apr 26, 2016

Stimson in the News ·

Brian Eyler quoted in Tuoi Tre on Climate Change in the Mekong

Apr 26, 2016

Stimson in the News ·

Richard Cronin quoted in Xinmin Evening News on Food Security

Apr 21, 2016

Stimson in the News ·

Richard Cronin quoted in Bloomberg on Climate Change in Mekong

Apr 19, 2016

Stimson in the News ·

Brian Eyler quoted in Radio Free Asia on Dams in Laos

Apr 15, 2016

Stimson in the News ·

Brian Eyler quoted in Science Magazine on droughts in the Mekong

Apr 7, 2016

Stimson in the News ·

Richard Cronin quoted in Vietnam Express on dam constructions in the Mekong River

Apr 1, 2016

Stimson in the News ·

Richard Cronin quoted in Nong nghiep Viet Nam

Feb 25, 2016

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