Saira Yamin, Ph.D.

Chair Women, Peace, and Security
Saira Yamin faculty photo

Biography

Saira Yamin is The Ambassador Swanee Hunt Chair of Women, Peace, and Security. She has held teaching appointments at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, Honolulu, the Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, George Mason University, Virginia, and at the Department of Defense and Strategic Studies, Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad. She serves on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Asian Security and International Affairs (Sage), and the Journal of International Peace and Stability, National University of Sciences and Technology, Islamabad. She has worked in the development sector on poverty alleviation and gender, education and refugees issues.

Areas of Expertise

  • Afghanistan
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Conflict Resolution
  • Gender Studies
  • GWOT
  • India
  • International Relations
  • Pakistan
  • Security Cooperation
  • Terrorism
  • Women, Peace, and Security

Professional Highlights

2022

Chair, Women, Peace, and Security, U.S. Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island.

Leads the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) program at the Naval War College as one of the President's six Special Areas of Emphasis in education, research, and outreach. Responsible for incorporating the U.S. Department of Defense's WPS Strategic Framework and Implementation Plan (2020) across all programs.
2012

Professor, Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, Honolulu, Hawaii.

Taught and researched Negotiation and Conflict Resolution, Crisis Management, Counter-terrorism, South Asian security dynamics, and Women, Peace, and Security. Academic lead for senior executive courses for U.S. and international civil and military leaders. Pioneering member of the Women, Peace, and Security program at the Center advancing partner-nation capacity in regional gendered security initiatives.
2008

Adjunct Professor, Carter Center for Peace and Conflict Resolution, George Mason University, Arlington, Virginia.

Taught graduate and undergraduate courses titled: Globalization and International Conflict, Global Conflict Analysis and Resolution, Social Dynamics of Terrorism, Justice, and Security, and Reflective Practice in Interpersonal Multi-Party Conflicts.
1999

Lecturer, Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad.

Taught graduate courses titled: Conflict Resolution, Crisis Management, Dynamics of Strategy, Asymmetric and Unconventional Warfare, Psychological Warfare, and Strategic Dynamics of North Africa at the Department of Defense and Strategic Studies at Pakistan's premier institution for higher education.
1997

Senior Manager Education and Advocacy, ActionAid Pakistan

Managed the Education and Advocacy Unit for ActionAid Pakistan, Britain's second-largest charitable organization working to eradicate poverty around the world. Led ActionAid Pakistan's Education For All campaign through the creation of a national network of NGOs.
1996

Program Officer Legislative Watch, Aurat Foundation, Pakistan

Lobbied for women's rights with Parliamentarians and politicians, and ran media campaigns for Aurat Foundation, Pakistan's largest gender network.

Education

Ph.D., George Mason University, Conflict Analysis and Resolution

M.Sc., George Mason University, Conflict Analysis and Resolution

B.A., University of Punjab, Pakistan, Political Science

B.A., University of Punjab, Pakistan, English Literature

B.A., University of Punjab, Pakistan, French

C.V. or Resume

Research Contributions and Publications

“The Education Agenda: Enabling Meaningful Participation of Women in Peace and Security”
Security Nexus
Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, Honolulu, HI
February 2022

“Womenomics: Positioning Women as Drivers of Economic Growth”
Development Advocate
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Islamabad, Pakistan
March 2021

“Strategic Competition, Cooperation and Accommodation: Perspectives from the Indian Ocean Region”
Security Nexus
Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, Honolulu, HI
March 2021

“Inclusive Governance: Lessons from History”
Hindsight, Insight and Foresight: Thinking about Security in the Indo-Pacific
Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, Honolulu, HI
2020

“Strategic Competition: Why Pakistan Matters”
Security Nexus
Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, Honolulu, HI
July 2020

“Imagining Pakistan: Modernism, State and the Politics of Islamic Revival”
Book Review in Journal of International Security and International Affairs, Volume 5, Number 3, Sage Publications
2018

“Advancing Security Through a Gender Lens: Building Capacity of International Security Practitioners”
Security Nexus
Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, Honolulu, HI
June 2018

“Egyptian Women as Catalysts of Change in the Arab Spring”
Deconstructing Women, Peace, and Security: A Critical Review of Approaches to Gender and Empowerment
Human Sciences Research Council, Pretoria, South Africa
November 2015

“Sharia Law and Its Implications for Women’s Status and Rights”
Women, War, and Violence: Topography, Resistance and Hope
Praeger Security International, Santa Clara, CA
August 2015

“Pakistan: National Security Dilemmas and Transition to Democracy”
Journal of Asian Security and International Affairs, Sage Publications
April 2015

Mapping Conflict Trends in Pakistan
United States Institute of Peace, Washington D.C.
February 2014

"Global Governance: Rethinking the U.S. Role in Afghanistan Post 2014"
Journal of South Asian Development, Sage Publications
August 2013

"Challenging Patriarchy: Egypt, Pakistan, and Turkey"
Women Waging War and Peace: International Perspectives of Women’s Roles in Conflict and Post-Conflict Reconstruction
Continuum, New York and London
2011

“Methods of De-escalation in International Crises”
The International Encyclopedia of Peace
Oxford University Press, New York and Oxford
2010

“Theory of De-escalation in Conflict”
The International Encyclopedia of Peace
Oxford University Press, New York and Oxford
2010

“People to People Diplomacy”
The International Encyclopedia of Peace
Oxford University Press, New York and Oxford
2010

“Chemical and Biological Weapons: Movements to Ban”
The International Encyclopedia of Peace
Oxford University Press, New York and Oxford
2010

"Conventional Weapons: Contemporary Constraints and Limitations”
The International Encyclopedia of Peace
Oxford University Press, New York and Oxford
2010

“Non-Lethal Weapons”
The International Encyclopedia of Peace
Oxford University Press, New York and Oxford
2010

“Arms Races”
The International Encyclopedia of Peace
Oxford University Press, New York and Oxford
2010

“Military Expenditures”
The International Encyclopedia of Peace
Oxford University Press, New York and Oxford
2010

“Building Peace in Sri Lanka: An Analysis of the Conflict and a Plan for Intervention”
IPRI Journal
Islamabad Institute for Policy Research, Islamabad, Pakistan
Winter 2009

Peacebuilding in Afghanistan: Revisiting the Global War on Terrorism
Regional Center for Strategic Studies, Colombo, Sri Lanka
2008

“My Love Affair with India”
Closer to Ourselves
Women in Security, Conflict Management, and Peace (WISCOMP), New Delhi
2008

“Understanding Religious Identity and the Causes of Religious Violence”
Peace Prints: South Asian Journal of Peacebuilding, Volume 1, Number 1
Women in Security, Conflict Management, and Peace (WISCOMP), New Delhi
Spring 2008

"Basic Human Needs Theory: An Alternative Approach for Managing Ethnic Conflict and State Security"
Different Perceptions on Conflict Resolution: Need for An Alternative Paradigm
The University of Karachi, Karachi, Pakistan
2005

Stability through Economic Cooperation in a Nuclear Environment
Manohar Publications, New Delhi, India
2005

"The Role of T.V. and other Mass Media in Projecting Western Societies to the World: A Pull Factor for Immigration”
Immigration to Europe From South Asia and The Muslim World
Area Study Centre for Europe, University of Karachi, Karachi, Pakistan
2005

Awards and Decorations

World of Excellence Award
Defense Security Cooperation Agency, 2012-2022

Excellence in Federal Government Award, Mentor of the Year
Honolulu-Pacific Federal Executive Board, 2019

Excellence in Federal Government Award for Team Excellence
Honolulu-Pacific Federal Executive Board, 2015

The Faculty Scholarship Award
Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, George Mason University, 2009

The Eleanor Roosevelt Writing Award
Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, George Mason University, 2008

Competitive Grant
A competitive research grant awarded by The Nuclear Threat Initiative, Washington D.C. in collaboration with the Regional Center for Strategic Studies, Colombo, supported field research in India and Pakistan and led to the publication of a monograph titled "Stability Through Economic Cooperation in a Nuclear Environment," Manohar, New Delhi, 2005

External Memberships and Associations

Editorial Advisory Board Member
Journal of Asian Security and International Affairs (JASIA), SAGE Publications
November 2018-Present

Associate Editor
Journal of International Peace and Security, National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad
June 2018-Present

Material and external links contained herein are made available for the purpose of peer review and discussion and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Naval War College, Department of the Navy or the Department of Defense.