About the Speaker

Dr. Ashok Swain

Ashok Swain is a Professor of Peace and Conflict Research, UNESCO Chair of International Water Cooperation, and the Director of Research School of International Water Cooperation at Uppsala University, Sweden. He received his PhD from the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi in 1991, and since then he has been teaching at the Uppsala University. He has been a Mac Arthur Visiting Fellow at the University of Chicago, visiting fellow at UN Research Institute for Social Development, Geneva; and visiting professor at University Witwatersrand, University of Science, Malaysia, University of British Columbia, University of Maryland, Stanford University, McGill University, Tufts University and University of Natural Sciences and Life Sciences, Vienna. He has written extensively on new security challenges, water sharing issues, environment, conflict and peace, and democratic development issues. His publications include ‘The Environmental Trap’ (Uppsala University, 1996), ‘International Fresh Water Resources: Conflict or Cooperation’ (SEI, 1997), ‘Managing Water Conflict: Asia, Africa and the Middle East’ (Routledge, 2004), Struggle Against the State: Social Network and Protest Mobilization in India (Ashgate, 2010), ‘Understanding Emerging Security Challenges: Threats and Opportunities (Routledge, 2012), ‘Transboundary Water Management and the Climate Change Debate (Routledge, 2015), and ‘Emerging Security Threats in the Middle East: The Impact of Climate Change and Globalization’ (Rowman & Littlefield, 2016). He has also edited/co-edited several volumes, including ‘Education as Social Action’ (Palgrave MacMillan, 2005), ‘Islam and Violent Separatism’ (Kegan Paul, 2007), ‘Globalization and Challenges to Building Peace’ (Anthem, 2007), ‘The Democratization Project: Opportunities and Challenges’ (Anthem, 2009), ‘The Security-Development Nexus: Peace, Conflict and Development’ (Anthem 2013) and ‘Water Security’ 4 Volumes (Sage 2014). He is presently co-editing ‘Routledge Handbook on Environmental Conflict and Peacebuilding’ and ‘Routledge Handbook on Middle East Security.’ He has also published nearly 100 journal articles and book chapters. He has worked as a consultant on environment and development issues for various UN agencies, OSCE, NATO, EU, IISS, Arab League, Governments of Sweden, Netherlands, UK and Singapore.