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The author addresses water conflicts from the perspective of negotiation theory by revealing the coalitions and power strategies at work. This study aims to shed new light on the ongoing debate on negotiation and power. A new conceptual framework is developed, which identifies the actors’ main (bargaining) variables and interests and suggests some of their inter-relations. This framework draws on negotiation analysis to show how, in situations of power asymmetry, weaker parties will resort to linkage strategies to bring more powerful actors to a minimal agreement.