Strategic Undercurrents To India’s New Arctic Policy

NEW DELHI: India’s new updated Arctic policy is out. It is based on “six pillars” including climate change and connectivity but there is also a strategic element to it even though there is no reference to that in the policy.

In this conversation on The Gist, Dr. Uttam Sinha of the Delhi based Institute for Defence Studies & Analyses, looks at the import of the new policy and what India seeks to achieve. While it is clear that the weather systems in the Arctic influence the course of the Indian monsoon, given the challenge of climate change, the government felt the need to step up involvement and investment in the Arctic.

Dr. Sinha also looks at the opportunities for India as warming temperatures melt large blocks of ice and open up the Arctic seas. He tries to answer the question, does this open up new shorter sea routes? Can these be commercially used? What about the territorial claims by Russia and other Arctic states?

Tune in for more in this chat with Dr. Uttam Sinha.