Ali Abdul-Amir Allawi (Arabic: علي عبد الامير علاوي) (born 1947) was Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister He is an Iraqi politician and scholar. From May 2020 to August 2022, he ran as Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister. He resigned from the post of finance minister on August 16, 2022 due to the deteriorating political situation in Iraq. He was Minister of Trade and Minister of Defense in the cabinet appointed by the

Interim Iraq Governing Council The Iraqi Governing Council (IGC) was the provisional government of Iraq from 13 July 2003 to 1 June 2004. It was established by and served under the United States-led Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA). The IGC consisted of various Iraqi po ...

from September 2003 until 2004, and subsequently Minister of Finance in the Iraqi Transitional Government between 2005 and 2006.

Background

Allawi was born in

Baghdad Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon. I ...

in 1947 but spent most of his life in exile. He first left Iraq in 1958. His family had been deeply involved in the politics of the kingdom but found themselves on the wrong side of the 14th of July revolution. After the Ba'ath Party came to power in 1968, Allawi knew a return to Iraq would be impossible. He opposed Saddam Hussein's rule from afar. He went to school in the UK and graduated from

MIT The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the m ...

in the United States with a BSc in Civil Engineering. After completing an MBA from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

he worked in international development for the

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Inte ...

. He co-founded the Arab International Finance merchant bank in 1978. In 1992 he founded the Fisa Group which manages hedge funds. Between 1999 and 2002 he was a Senior Associate at St Antony's College, Oxford.

Later work

In January 2007 ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...

'' published an article by Allawi outlining a blueprint for peace in Iraq. Allawi recommended devolution within Iraq, economic and political

regional integration Regional Integration is a process in which neighboring countries enter into an agreement in order to upgrade cooperation through common institutions and rules. The objectives of the agreement could range from economic to political to enviro ...

in the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...

, and the setting up of independent boards to oversee reconstruction and security issues. The article was praised by ''Independent'' commentator

Patrick Cockburn Patrick Oliver Cockburn ( ; born 5 March 1950) is a journalist who has been a Middle East correspondent for the ''Financial Times'' since 1979 and, from 1990, ''The Independent''. He has also worked as a correspondent in Moscow and Washington ...

, who argued that it was "by far the most perceptive analysis of the extent of the disaster in his country, and how it might best be resolved. It is in sharp contrast to the ill-thought-out maunderings of experts and officials devising fresh policies in the White House and Downing Street". Allawi has since writte
''The Occupation of Iraq: Winning the War, Losing the Peace''
and ''The Crisis of Islamic Civilization''. Both books were well received by critics and the reading public.

The New York Times Book Review ''The New York Times Book Review'' (''NYTBR'') is a weekly paper-magazine supplement to the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times'' in which current non-fiction and fiction books are reviewed. It is one of the most influential and widely rea ...

called ''The Occupation of Iraq'' "...the most comprehensive historical account of the disastrous aftermath of the American Invasion. In October 2009 the

Washington Institute for Near East Policy The Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP or TWI, also known simply as The Washington Institute) is a pro-Israel American think tank based in Washington, D.C., focused on the foreign policy of the United States in the Near East. WIN ...

announced that his book ''The Crisis of Islamic Civilization'' was awarded the Silver Prize of its annual book prize. In December 2009, ''

The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British weekly newspaper printed in demitab format and published digitally. It focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology, and culture. Based in London, the newspaper is owned by The Eco ...

'' named ''The Crisis of Islamic Civilization'' one of the Best Books of 2009.In a recent interview with ''

The Diplomat ''The Diplomat'' is an international online news magazine covering politics, society, and culture in the Indo-Pacific region. It is based in Washington, D.C. It was originally an Australian bi-monthly print magazine, founded by Minh Bui Jone ...

'' he discussed his views on modern Islamic civilisation. He considers that, as a result of the expansion of Western colonial powers and modernisation over the last 200 years, Islamic civilisation is fast losing its "élan" and has been reduced to two aspects - political and religious - while economic and cultural aspects no longer affect the Muslim world.Interview with Ali Allawi
/ref> Allawi was appointed a Visiting Research Professor at the National University of Singapore in 2013–2014. In March 2014, Allawi's biography of Faisal I of Iraq, published by

Yale University Press Yale University Press is the university press of Yale University. It was founded in 1908 by George Parmly Day, and became an official department of Yale University in 1961, but it remains financially and operationally autonomous. , Yale Universi ...

, was released to wide critical acclaim.

Interviews

Ali Allawi on Charlie Rose 04/11/07Interview with Ali Allawi for Guernica Magazine (guernicamag.com)
* http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=3330&print=1
''After Words'' interview with Allawi on ''The Occupation of Iraq'', April 14, 2007Yale University Press site: listen to an interview with Ali A. Allawi on the Yale Press Podcast and to Allawi's first public radio interview on The Diane Rehm Show on WAMU 88.5 FM, American University Radio

Interview with Kurt Schemers on Traders Nation about his book, The Crisis of Islamic Civilization, June 2009

Interview with Ali Allawi
''

'', June 2, 2009

References

External links

* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Allawi, Ali 1947 births Living people Iraqi Muslims Iraqi Shia Muslims Government ministers of Iraq Harvard Business School alumni Iraqi expatriates in the United Kingdom Iraqi expatriates in the United States Iraqi monarchists MIT School of Engineering alumni People from Baghdad Finance ministers of Iraq Iraq portal