Uttam Kumar Sinha

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Uttam Kumar Sinha is a leading scholar and commentator on transboundary rivers, climate change and the Arctic. He is currently Co-Chair of the Think-20 Task Force on ‘Accelerating SDGs: Exploring New Pathways to the 2030 Agenda’ during India’s G20 Presidency.

After a brief stint in the print media and a doctoral degree from Jawaharlal Nehru University, he joined the MP-IDSA in 2001, where he coordinates the Non-Traditional Security Centre and is the Managing Editor of Strategic Analysis published by Routledge, the institute’s flagship journal.

He is a recipient of many fellowships and leadership programmes including senior fellow at the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (2018-2020); US-South Asia Leader Engagement Programme at the Harvard Kennedy School (2015); Chevening ‘Gurukul’ leadership at the London School of Economics and Political Science (2008) and a visiting fellow at the Peace Research Institute Oslo (2006).

His recently published work is Indus Basin Interrupted: A History of Territory and Politics from Alexander to Nehru (Penguin, 2021). His other works include the Riverine Neighbourhood: Hydro-politics in South Asia (Pentagon Press, 2016) and Climate Change Narratives: Reading the Arctic (2014).

His edited and co-edited volumes include Modi: Shaping a Global Order in Flux (Wisdom Tree, 2023); MODI 2.0: A Resolve To Secure India (Pentagon Press, 2021); The Modi Doctrine: New Paradigms in India’s Foreign Policy (Wisdom Tree, 2016); Non-Traditional Security Challenges in Asia: Approaches and Responses (Routledge, 2015); Arctic: Commerce, Governance and Policy (Routledge, 2015) and Emerging Strategic Trends in Asia (Pentagon Press, 2015).

  • Senior Fellow
  • Email:uksinha2001[at]gmail[dot]com
  • Phone: +91 11 2671 7983

Publication

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Arctic: Commerce, Governance and Policy

Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 978-1-13-885599-1
Price: $145.00
In May 2013, China, India, Japan, Singapore and South Korea (Asia 5) were given status as permanent observers in the Arctic Council. It was a symbolic and significant moment in the history of Arctic affairs. The list of stakeholders in the Arctic has now expanded to include both the Arctic littoral states and the five Asian states. The drivers and policies of these stakeholders on the Arctic vary, but research on climate change, possible changes to the global energy and minerals markets, adherence to international norms like the UNCLOS, and geopolitical considerations are issues of concern.

  • Published: 2015
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Climate Change Narratives: Reading the Arctic

In an interconnected world with interlinked issues, understanding Climate Change and the Arctic and exploring the intersection between the two is extremely important. The monograph addresses Climate Change as a security risk; as a geopolitical orientation and as an energy challenge, and maps the impact of these narratives on the Arctic.

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Emerging Strategic Trends In Asia

  • Publisher: Pentagon Press
    2014

There is little doubt that Asia – stretching from the Eurasian landmass to the maritime reaches of Australia and the South Pacific – is experiencing a major shift in the global balance of power. Expressions like the ‘Indo-Pacific’ and ‘Asia-Pacific’, contested they maybe, capture Asia’s expanse and dynamism. A power shift from the West to the East is well under way.

  • ISBN 978-81-8274-823-1,
  • Price: ₹. 1095/-
  • E-copy available

  • Published: 2014
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Non-Traditional Security Challenges in Asia: Approaches and Responses

  • Publisher: Pentagon Press
    2015

Asia is challenged by a number of non-traditional security issues including the food–energy–water nexus, climate change, transnational crime, terrorism, disaster relief and economic performance. This volume categorizes and clarifies some key emerging issues in the area and looks at their interconnectedness and implications.

  • ISBN 978-11-3889-253-8,
  • Price: $110.00/-

  • Published: 2015
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Indus Basin Uninterrupted: A History of Territory and Politics from Alexander to Nehru

  • Publisher: Penguin Random House India
    2021
The Indus Waters Treaty between India and Pakistan marks six decades, but carries the reflection of several thousand years of history. Indus Basin Uninterrupted, with an easy narration and rich archival material, brings alive a meandering journey of peace, conflict and commerce on the Indus basin. The Indus system of rivers, as a powerful symbol of the passage of time, represents not only the interdependence and interpenetration of land and water, but equally the unfolding of political identities, social churning and economic returns. From Alexander's campaign to Qásim crossing the Indus and laying the foundation of Muslim rule in India; from the foreign invaders and their 'loot and scoot' to the Mughal rulers' perspective on hydrology and water use; from the British 'great game' on the Indus basin to the bitter and bloody Partition; and finally, as a historical pause, the signing of the Indus Waters Treaty—this book is a spectrum of spectacular events, turning points and of personalities and characters and their actions that were full of marvel.
  • ISBN: 9780670094486,
  • Price: ₹. 799.00

  • Published: 2021
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Indus Waters Treaty: Looking Back, Looking Ahead

Senior Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Dr Uttam Kumar Sinha's piece ‘Indus Waters Treaty: Looking Back, Looking Ahead’ has been published in National Strategy on 19 September 2023.

The best option for India is to fulfil the IWT’s provisions, particularly on the western rivers. The Treaty allows storage up to 3.6 MAF and 13.4 lakh acres of irrigation. Many projects now underway will achieve the “permissible capacity”. Any move to abrogate the IWT without first optimising the provisions of the Treaty is hardly pragmatic, says Dr Sinha.

Read Complete Article [+]

  • Published: 19 September, 2023
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Blue-Green Growth Needs Science and Socioeconomic Intelligence

Senior Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Dr Uttam Kumar Sinha's co-authored opinion piece 'Blue-Green growth needs science and socioeconomic intelligence' was published in Hindustan Times, on April 28, 2023.

It is important to spend time and money on scientific planning and adopt incentives to prioritise conservation over the destruction of natural resources, say the authors.

Read Complete Article [+]

  • Published: 28 April, 2023