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Uttam Kumar Sinha is a leading scholar and commentator on transboundary rivers, climate change and the Arctic. 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 heads 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 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).
Climate Crisis: Why India Must Focus on Adaptation
Research Fellow, MP-IDSA, Dr. Uttam Sinha's co-authored opinion 'Climate Crisis: Why India must focus on adaptation' was published in Hindustan Times, on October 19, 2021.
The local development plans at the block and panchayat levels need to focus on developing climate-resilient systems, livelihoods, and assets, both public and private, says Dr. Sinha.
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How Civil Engineers Shaped India’s Geography
An opinion piece by Dr. Uttam Sinha, Research Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA on 'How civil engineers shaped India's geography' has been published in Hindustan Times, on September 19, 2021.
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Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Climate Change
Research Fellow, MP-IDSA Dr. Uttam Sinha's chapter 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Climate Change' has been published in the volume Aatmannirbhar Bharat: A Vibrant and Strong India by S. Gurumurthy and Arvind Gupta (Aryan Publishers, New Delhi), with a message by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Devise a New Water Governance Plan to Deal with the Future of the Indus Basin
An opinion piece by Dr. Uttam Sinha, Research Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, titled ‘Devise a new water governance plan to deal with the future of the Indus basin’ has been published in ‘The Hindustan Times’, on August 25, 2021.
The Permanent Indus Commission that meets every year to settle differences over IWT is an excellent mechanism to raise concerns over water efficiency, ecological integrity and sustainability in the backdrop of the climate crisis. A new water governance framework will be required to deal with the uncertain future of the Indus basin, says Dr. Sinha.
MODI 2.0: A Resolve To Secure India
Research Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Dr. Uttam Sinha's co-edited volume 'Modi 2.0: A Resolve To Secure India' has been published by Pentagon Press.
The Volume, edited by Ranjit Pachnanda, Bibek Debroy, Anirban Ganguly and Uttam Sinha has 17 chapters that analyse the NDA government's approach to security.
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Harness: Tapping the River
Research Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Dr. Uttam Sinha's section ‘Harness: Tapping the River’ has been published in the World Bank’s Volume on the Brahmaputra river, titled 'The Restless River.
The Volume is edited by Ganesh Pangare, Bushra Nishat, Xiawei Liao and Halla Maher.
As CCP celebrates its centenary, Mao’s hydraulic legacy lives on
An opinion piece by Dr. Uttam Sinha, Research Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, titled ‘As CCP celebrates its centenary, Mao’s hydraulic legacy lives on’ has been published in Hindustan Times on July 1 2021.
As it celebrates its centenary on July 1, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has put out a propaganda offensive, extolling socialist culture with nationalistic messages, writes Dr. Sinha.
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India-EU Summit: Building on the Momentum
An article on India-EU Summit by Dr. Uttam Sinha, Research Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, titled ‘India-EU Summit: Building on the Momentum’, has been published in ‘The Nationalist’, on June 11, 2021.
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India a Tri-Polar Nation: Breaking the Ice
Dr. Uttam Sinha's article ‘India a Tripolar Nation: Breaking the Ice’ has been published in the April 16-30, 2021, Vol. 1 Issue 20 of Brisbane-based ‘India News’.
India’s Arctic approach needs to be well rounded and comprehensive considering the convergence of the threegeos: the geo-physical, the geo-economic and the geo-strategic, writes Dr. Sinha.
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As a tri-polar nation, India has a critical role in the Arctic
The Hindustan Times published an Opinion Piece by Dr. Uttam Sinha, Research Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, titled ‘As a tri-polar nation, India has a critical role in the Arctic’, on April 11, 2021.
For India, the Arctic has a deep civilisational connect. It enshrines a consciousness of human social evolution as a response to the physical environment as Bal Gangadhar Tilak expressed in his work, The Arctic Home in the Vedas (1903), writes Dr. Sinha.