Allan then researched trade figures of Middle Eastern states to conclude that this water-scarce region was only able to survive through large quantities of food imports in grain, livestock etc.
It was this logic that enabled Tony Allan to challenge the then prevailing thesis that the wars in the next century will be fought over water.
[6][7][8][9] This opened up a plethora of new research directions for his many graduate students working in water constrained parts of the world.
A significant contribution to this paradigm shift has been the emergence of the concept of benefit-sharing as opposed to water-sharing,[16][17] or the management of transboundary waters as a public good.
The international nominated Allan for it due to 'his unique, pioneering and long lasting work in education and raising the awareness internationally of the interdisciplinary relationships between agricultural production, water use, economies and political processes'.