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Dr.Uttam Kumar Sinha is a Research Fellow at the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses. His areas of research include transboundary water issues, climate change and the Arctic region. At MP-IDSA, he is also the Managing Editor of Strategic Analysis published by Routledge.
A doctorate in International Politics from Jawaharlal Nehru University, Dr. Sinha holds an adjunct position at the Malaviya Centre for Peace Research, Banaras Hindu University and is a Senior Fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies Sri Lanka, a think-tank of that country’s Ministry of Defence.
He is currently on the technical advisory board of the South Asia Water Governance Programme and has a policy advisory role at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) in Kathmandu. He was a Chevening ‘Gurukul’ Scholar at the London School of Economics in 2008; participated in the Harvard Kennedy School’s South Asia Leaders Programme in 2015; and was a visiting fellow at the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) in 2006.
He is actively engaged in the Track 2 dialogue process and was India’s representative to the CSCAP Working Group on Water Resources Security. He Chaired the Working Group on Water Dispute Resolution Mechanism of the Strategic Studies Network, National Defense University (NDU) Washington DC.
He is the author of the book Riverine Neighbourhood: Hydro-politics in South Asia (Pentagon Press, 2016). Some of his recent 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); Emerging Strategic Trends in Asia (Pentagon Press, 2015).
Indus Water Treaty at 60: why there is a need to give it a fresh look
Research Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Dr. Uttam Sinha’s article ‘Indus Water Treaty at 60: Why there is a need to give it a fresh look’ has been published in ‘The Indian Express’ on September 19, 2020.
The role of India as a responsible upper riparian abiding by the provisions of the treaty has been remarkable, but the country, of late, is under pressure to rethink the extent to which it can remain committed to the provisions, as its overall political relations with Pakistan becomes intractable, writes Dr. Sinha.
The Nehruvian imprint on Indus Waters Treaty
Research Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Dr. Uttam Sinha’s article ‘The Nehruvian imprint on Indus Waters Treaty’ has been published in ‘The Hindustan Times’ on September 19, 2020. The Indus Waters Treaty may have prevented “another Korea”, as the World Bank had anxiously observed, but it did not fundamentally change Pakistan’s lower riparian angst nor in its perception of the upper riparian dominance of India, writes Dr. Sinha.
India in the Arctic: Civilization Connect and Contemporary Policy
Research Fellow Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Dr. Uttam Sinha’s chapter ‘India in the Arctic Civilization Connect and Contemporary Policies’ has been published in the Volume ‘Observing the Arctic: Asia in the Arctic Council and Beyond’ by Chih Yuan Woon and Klaus Dodds, Edward Elgar Publication, UK, 2020.
Rebalancing Foreign Policy and Non-Traditional Security Issues
Manohar Parrikar IDSA scholars, Dr. Uttam Sinha’s chapter ‘Rebalancing Foreign Policy and Non-Traditional Security Issues’ and Dr. Ashok Behuria’ chapter ‘Domestic Drivers in India's Neighbourhood Policy’ have been published in the Volume ‘India's Foreign Policy: Surviving in a Turbulent World’, edited by Arvind Gupta and Anil Wadhwa, Sage Publication, 2020.
Bal Gangadhar Tilak and the Arctic
Research Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Dr. Uttam Sinha’s article ‘Bal Gangadhar Tilak and the Arctic; has been published in The Indian Express on August 01, 2020.
Bal Gangadhar Tilak's emphasis on cultural-historical geography, evident in study of the Vedas, was an important intervention when geographical determinism was gaining dominance, writes Dr. Sinha.
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The climate-change challenge: Altering human behaviour a must
Research Fellow, IDSA, presently on Lien to Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, Dr Uttam Sinha’s article on climate change, titled ‘The climate-change challenge: Altering human behaviour a must’ has been published in South Asia Monitor on September 15, 2019.
Climate change, by all accounts, is the greatest existential threat that humanity has collectively witnessed, writes Dr. Sinha.
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India’s need for hydro-diplomacy with China, Pakistan and Bangladesh
Research Fellow, IDSA, presently on Lien to Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, Dr Uttam Sinha’s article on India’s hydro-diplomacy with its neighbours, titled ‘India’s need for hydro-diplomacy with China, Pakistan and Bangladesh’ has been published in South Asia Journal on July 22, 2019.
India and the Arctic
Research Fellow, IDSA, presently on Lien to Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, Dr Uttam Sinha’s article on ‘India and the Arctic’ has been published in the Journal of International Relations, Saint Petersburg University, Jan-March, 2019 issue.
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A Life Plucked Out of the Archives
It is not easy to turn somebody’s personal archive, even if it is well kept, into a book − that too a biography − without falling in love with the person, his times, the ideological cross-currents he swam with or against, and the historical significance of the character. Such efforts are really commendable when the person of the archives leaves an indelible mark as an ‘ideological beacon and moral compass’ to a leader of consequence, who steered a nation through one of the most tumultuous periods of its history.
Regionalism the New Realism
Research Fellow, IDSA, presently on Lien to Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, Dr Uttam Sinha’s chapter ‘Regionalism the New Realism’ was published in the Volume ‘Making of New India: Transformation Under Modi Government’, edited by Bibek Debroy, Anirban Ganguly and Kishore Desai. The Volume was released by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and the first copy was presented to President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on November 27, 2018.