Under the Caliphates, the Middle East was thriving. It was the center of knowledge and it held economic power. In 1924, however, the Ottoman Caliphate was destroyed in Turkey, and the Arab world sank into turmoil. Inside the Arab world today, there are many conflicts over land, water and power.

One of the main conflicts today is over water. Iraq, which is currently a struggling Republic trying to get out of its previous chaos, and Syria, which is Presidential Republic, are complaining about Turkey's use of the Euphrates River. Turkey, which is also a republic, is blocking the Euphrates River by a dam to help its growing economy and population.

A River Runs Through It is trying to ease all water-related tensions in the Middle East, and to find new ways to protect, manage, and properly distribute the limited water in the region.