Profile

Sima Baidya
Sima Baidya is an Assistant Professor under the Gulf Studies Programme in the Centre forWest Asian Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi,India. Her main research pursuits are Post Revolutionary Iran’s Foreign Policy Behavior
and Persian Gulf Politics. She started her career as a State Civil Service Group—A Officer.
With a brief stint as a Lecturer in the University of Kalyani, she has taught in the Department ofPolitical Science at the University of Calcutta before joining JNU as a faculty.
She ranked 103 in Madhyamik [Board X Examination].
She did her Graduation in Political Science from Presidency College, Calcutta.
She did her M.A. in International Relations from Jadavpur University, Calcutta and M. Phil.
from JNU, New Delhi.

Publications:Book:
Dissent in the Land of Arab (New Delhi: Academic Excellence, 2007).

Chapters:
I. Chapter: “Politics of Resistance in the GCC States: A TheoreticalFramework” in (ed) Singh, Priya et al. Perspective of West Asia. Maulana Azad
Institute, Kolkata, India, Shipra Publications, February, 2012.
II. Chapter: “Deconstructing the Changing Perception of Iran: A View fromIndia”----(ed) Makinsky, Michel, L'Iran et les acteurs globaux
et régionaux »: Ambitions, Stratégies et perceptions réciproques [BilingualFrench and English]. L'Harmattan, Paris, January, 2012.
III. Chapter: “Probing the Smart Power Paradigm in Iran – USA Relations”.
(ed) Kidwai, Saleem. US policy towards the Muslim world: Focus on post 9/11
period. U.S.A.: University Press of America, 2010.
IV. Chapter: “Situating Insurgency in Iraq” in Iraq War 2003. Gulf Studies
Programme, JNU, New Delhi, March, 2008.

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Articles in Journals and Magazines:

I. “Importance of Persian Gulf in India’s Energy Security”. Chinindia Journal.
August, 2011. Seoul. South Korea.
II. “Dissent and Human Rights Situations in GCC States”. World Focus, February
2008.

III. “G-8 Who gets What, When and How” in Mainstream 29 August 2006.

Paper Presentation in National Seminars:
I. “ Understanding Iranian Approach to the Political Turmoil in Yemen” in a
National Seminar on Yemen and Indo-Yemeni Relations on 30-31 January, 2012 organized byGSP, JNU, New Delhi.

II. “Transition to Democratization: Challenges and Prospects” in NationalSeminar on The Arab Spring and Peace in West Asia on 22-23 November, 2011
organized by West Asia Centre, AMU. Aligarh.
III. “Civil Society in U.A.E.” in a National Seminar on UAE and Indo-UAE
Relations on 29 March 2009,organized by GSP, JNU, New Delhi.
IV. “Iran: Dynamics of Regional Security” in a National Seminar on Iran, New
Delhi, India, 11 February, 2009.
V. “Iran’s Nuclear Crisis : Implications for West Asian Security” in National Seminar,
Xth Asian Security Conference on 4 February, 2008. Organized by Institute for Defence
Studies and Strategic Analysis ( IDSA ).
VI. “Importance of Iran in India’s Energy Security: A Current Scenario” in India
HabitatCentre on 19 October, 2007. Organized by Centre for Asian Strategic Studies(CASS).

Paper Presentation in International Seminars:
1. “Deciphering the Role of Political Islam in the Arab Street: Aspirations andChallenges” in International Seminar on Interpreting the Arab Spring: Significance ofthe New Arab Awakening organized by MAKAIAS, Kolkata, February 16- 17, 2012.
II. “What Future for the Turkey-Iranian Entente?” in International Conference on
Turkey/Arab World: What Role for Turkey? organized by Ifri, Paris, 14 April 2011.
2III. “Situating the Question of Identity in the Protests of Arab Streets” inInternational Conference on Contemporary Identities organized by Ars Identitatis,Paris. 13-16 April, 2011.
IV. “India's Relations with Iran: Civilizational Bond Revisited” in InternationalSeminar on Maulana Abul Kalam Azad: An Architect of Indo-Persian Culture organized
by SLL& CS, JNU, New Delhi, 2---3 March 2011.
V. “Politics of Resistance in the GCC States: A Theoretical Framework” inInternational Conference on Perspective of West Asia: Its Evolution as an Area of Studyin the Changing Geopolitical Discourses organized by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad
Institute of Asian Studies, Kolkata, India, 17-18 January 2011.
VI. “Constraints of Teaching and Research of Middle east and its Impact onInternational Relations” in International Conference on Social Sciences on 8-9 October,2010. Kusadasi, Turkey.
VII. “ Situating Iran in the Gulf Security” in Gulf and the Globe (II) Conference2010 Organized by U.K. Joint Services Command and Staff College, Shrivenham,U.K., 20-21 July 2010.
VIII. “Examining Turkey’s Role in the Middle East: A Dialectical Approach” inMETU Conference on International Relations in Northern Cyprus 20-22 May, 2010.
IX. “Importance of Hormuz in Indo-Arab Trade” in International Seminar held on 34th March, 2010 on People, Culture and Goods in Motion: India-Arab Maritime
Historical Relations, organized by Gulf Studies Programme, SIS, JNU.
X. “Energy as the Binding Force in Changing Iran-India Relations” in an
International Seminar organized by University of Tehran, Tehran , Iran from 23-24
February 2010.
XI. “India and Levant” in International Seminar on The Fertile Crescent, Great Powersand India, 9-11 February, 2010 organized by Centre for West Asian Studies, JNU, NewDelhi.
XII. “Assertion of Islamism and Dissent: Interactions between America andPolitical Islam” in an International Seminar organized by American university ofBeirut, Lebanon from 6-9 January, 2010.
XIII. “Impact of US Sanctions on Iran-India Relations” presented in an International
Seminar on India-Iran Relations in Contemporary Relations held from 3-5 December
2009 in JMI, India.
XIV. “Civil Society in Kuwait" in Gulf and Emerging Asia: Defining Regional
Architecture" 24th – 26th March, 20093XV. “Dynamics of Political Islam in Conflict and Peace : A Case Study of WestAsia” presented in Global Congress on World’s Religions after September 11--- AnAsian Perspective organized by Jamia Millia Islamia , New Delhi and McGill
University on 18 Jan 2009.
XVI. “Interactions between India and U.S.A. in Central and West Asia: A Narrativeof the Post American World, Where does India Stand?” in International Conferenceon India and the Major Powers in Central and West Asia: Challenges and Opportunities
organized by Third World Academy and West Asian Centre, 21-23 October 2008. JMI,New Delhi.
XVII. “Countering Regional Threats and Challenges” in 18th International Conference onPersian Gulf on 16-17 June, 2008. Organized by IPIS, Tehran, Iran.

XVIII. “ The Matrix of Energy in Turkey-Central Asia Relations: Implications forIndia” in International Seminar on 29-- 30 August 2007 organized by Jamia Millia Islamia, NewDelhi.

Foreign Countries Visited for Field Work and Other Academic Purposes:
Iran, U.A.E., Kuwait, Lebanon, Northern Cyprus, Turkey, U.K. and France.

Lectures/ Panel Discussion Delivered in India and Abroad:
I. Panel Discussion on Recent Parliamentary Election in Kuwait on 23 February, 2012 at SIS,JNU organized by GSP,JNU.

II. “Civil Society in West Asia” on 31st Jan 2012 in Refresher Course organized byAcademic Staff College, JMI, New Delhi. on 31 January, 2012.
III. Delivered a talk on “Turkey’s Recent Policy Towards the Middle East” on 11 October2010 in Izmir University, Izmir, Turkey.

IV. Delivered a Lecture on “How to Analyze Foreign Policy Behaviour of Persian Gulf States”
in Refresher Course organized by Academic Staff College, JMI, New Delhi. On 25 February
2008
V. Panel Discussion on “Iraq: Four Years of Occupation” on 22 March 2007 organized byJNU.
Book Review:I. The Post American World by Fareed Zakaria. in India Quarterly 2009.
II. India ; The Emerging Energy Player by Girijesh Pant . Published in Contemporary Central
Asia . Tenth Anniversary Special Issue. Vol. XI. No. 1, 2 & 3. April---August—December 2007.

4III. Struggle for sphere of interests in Trans-Caucasia-Central Asia and India’s Stake: AnAppraisal of India’s Central Asia Policy by Sheel Asopa. Published in Indian Foreign Affairs
Journal. Vol. 2. No. 3. July—Sept. 2007.

Research Project:
Completed a research project on Role of Civil Society in the Political Process: A
Comparative Study of Kuwait and U.A.E .Undertaken 19 days Field Trip to both thecountries.
Miscellaneous;Currently, She is teaching a course in M. Phil. level on Gulf Energy in World Politics and will
be teaching another M. Phil. course on Politics and Foreign Policy of Iran.

She is a member / life member of many academic bodies, like, Indian Political Science
Association, Indian Council for Political Studies etc. She was Seminar Coordinator for
more than two years [July 2007—December 2010] in the Centre, SIS, JNU. She was theJoint Secretary of Indian Academy of Social Sciences, India. She served as Convener,International Relations, Indian Social Science Congress in 2007 and 2008.
She speaks little bit German [Completed Three year Advance course from RKMInstitute of Culture, Calcutta] and French [completed Eight Semesters from AllianceFrances de Delhi, Delhi] and has studied Persian language for one and half year [oneSemester from Iranian Cultural House, Delhi].

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