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SOUTH ASIAN UNIVERSITY

A University Established by SAARC Nations

SOUTH ASIAN UNIVERSITY

A University established by SAARC Nations

Medha Bisht

Associate Professor (Senior Grade)
PhD (Jawaharlal Nehru University, 2010)

Contact Details

medhabisht(at)sau.ac.in
South Asian University ,Rajpur Rd, Maidan Garhi, New Delhi, Delhi 110068
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Profile

Dr Medha Bisht is Associate Professor (SG) of International Relations at South Asian University, specializing in transboundary water governance, diplomacy, and climate policy. She combines consultancy experience with UN agencies (UNIFEM, UNDP), international /hybrid organisations (IUCN, OXFAM), and bilateral programs (DFID/Asia Foundation), and training skills (UNECE, ICIMOD) with scholarly publications in leading journals including Global Studies Quarterly, International Studies, Water Policy, Water Alternatives, Strategic Analysis, Journal of Indian Ocean Region and the Hague Journal of Diplomacy. Author of "Kautilya's Arthashastra: Philosophy of Strategy" (Routledge, 2020), Dr Bisht has also lectured at India's Foreign Service Institute to international diplomats, bringing both theoretical depth and practical diplomatic insights to complex water governance challenges.   She has led and contributed to international collaborative projects on water diplomacy across South Asia, Europe, and North America while serving on regional working groups for transboundary river management and climate adaptation.

 

Qualifications

  • 2004-2010: Ph.D. in Diplomatic Studies, (Diplomacy and Disarmament Division) Centre for International Politics, Organisation and Disarmament, School of International Studies (SIS), Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi.
  • 2008: Peace Research, International Summer School, University Of Oslo, Norway
  • 2002-2004: M. Phil in Diplomatic Studies, Center for Studies in Diplomacy, International Law and Economics, SIS, JNU. New Delhi.
  • 2002-2000. M.A in Politics (Spl in International Relations) ,SIS, JNU, New Delhi.
  • 2000-1997: B.A (Hons) In History, Miranda House, Delhi University, New Delhi.
  • 1997-1996: ISC in Humanities, All Saints College, Nainital.
  • 1995-1994: I.C.S.E, All Saints College, Nainital.

Research Interests

  • Philosophy and Theory of International Relations
  • Water Governance and Diplomacy
  • Politics and Governance of Global Commons
  • Asian Diplomatic Thought and Diplomatic Practices
  • Networks  and International Relations
  • Multistakeholder Negotiations and Diplomacy (with a focus on civil society organisations)
  • Grand Strategy

Recent Publications

Rational and Relational Models: A Case Study of the Indus Basin, Water Alternatives 18 (1): 42-48


Endogenous Narratives: Ancient Ideas and Modern Vocabularies, Global Studies Quarterly (2025): 1-12. (with Sudesh Pokherel)


Culture as a Fluid Interlocutor: Perspectives on Water Diplomacy from South Asia, The Hague Journal of Diplomacy , June 2021). doi: https://doi.org/10.1163/1871191X-bja10073 (with Professor Jamil Ahmed)


Rethinking Dialogic Narratives in Water Diplomacy. Journal of Dialogue Studies, 11, 2023, 140-159


Bhutan and the Geography of Climate Change in The Role of Tropics in Climate Change, ed Niloy Khare, Elselvier, 2024 (co-authored) 2024. 


Thinking Through Networks: Towards a Feminist Water Diplomacy” , in Sehring, J., ter Horst, R., & Zwarteveen, M. (eds.), Oxon: Routledge, 2022.


Towards a networked strategy: framework for maritime South Asia', Journal of Indian Ocean Region, 16:2,2020.

Recent Books/ Monographs

Medha Bisht (2020), Kautilya's Arthashastra: Philosophy of Strategy (Routledge: London and New York) https://www.amazon.com/Kautilyas-Arthashastra-Philosophy-Medha-Bisht/dp/1138553077

Anvikshiki in Kautilya’s Arthashastra: The Science of Inquiry, Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, 2023.

Transboundary Water Governance: Narratives from the Meghna Basin, OXFAM, February 2021. (co-authored)

Monograph on Hydro-diplomacy and Local Narratives: Case study of River Ravi in Indian and Pakistan Punjab. Lahore: WWF-Pakistan, 2017. (co-authored)


Water Sector in Pakistan: Policy, Politics, Management, IDSA Monograph Series No. 18, 2013 , ISBN: 978-93-82169-17-8


Edited- Contemporary Issues in South Asia: Documents, Shipra Publication: New Delhi, 2009.

Awards & Honours

Awarded a  project titled, “Cross-regional learning for transformative water diplomacy (CroWD) with Institute for Water             Education, IHE Delft, Netherlands 2023-2027

Awarded a Consultancy Grant by ICIMOD and University of Arizona, on Renewable Energy Transitions: Comparative                  Assessment in the Hindu Kush Himalayas, Andes and Alps, March – May 2021

Awarded a Consultancy Grant  by OXFAM, Cambodia to lead a research project on Indigenous Women and  Water            Governance in  the Transboundary Meghna Basin in South Asia,   September 2020-  January 2021.

Keynote Address on IRBM: Transboundary water resources, ICIMOD, Kathmandu, September 5, 2023.

Keynote Address on Water Diplomacy in South Asia: Towards a Relational Approach, Friedrich Naumann Foundation,               Kathmandu, March 15, 2023

Selected as a South Asian delegate for an  interactive study tour on Energy Transition,  organized by the World Order and         Globalization Hub to United States of America,  May 2023 

Track Two Dialogue on Climate Change between India and Pakistan, Bangkok, Thailand, October 4-5, 2022.

Selected as a South Asian delegate for professional training course on ‘multi-scale integrated river basin management in          the Koshi Basin  and Murray Darling Basin, ICIMOD, Alluvium and Griffith University, August-September 2022.



Last Updated : 22 Dec 2025