Central Eurasian Studies

Phone:

(812) 856-2987

Email:

fistraba@indiana.edu

Full Biography

Feisal Amin Rasoul al-Istrabadi is the Founding Director of the Indiana University Center for the Study of the Middle East, a Title VI National Resource Center. He is also Professor of the Practice of International Law and Diplomacy in the Maurer School of Law and the School of Global and International Studies. He focuses his research on constitutional issues, problems in engendering rule-of-law institutions, and post-conflict justice issues in the Middle East. He also publishes on regional security issues. Ambassador al-Istrabadi is an elected Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a Member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

A double alumnus of Indiana University, al-Istrabadi was appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary and Deputy Permanent Representative of Iraq to the United Nations in 2004 and served in the Office of the Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2010 to 2012. Amb. Al-Istrabadi was principal legal drafter of the Iraqi interim constitution of 2004. He lectures often at universities and policy institutes and appears frequently in national and international media.

Education

B.A. in Chemistry at Indiana University, 1986
J.D. at Indiana University Maurer School of Law, 1988
LL.M. at Northwestern University, 2005
S.J.D. at Northwestern University, 2009

Amb. Istrabadi in the News

• Amb. Istrabadi appeared on PBS NewsHour on 8 September 2014 with Judy Woodruff to discuss the country's recent campaign against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).  Watch video
• Amb. Istrabadi appeared on PBS NewsHour on 2 May 2013 with Ryan Crocker, former US Ambassador to Iraq to discuss the country's recent descent into greater violence.
• Amb. Istrabadi's op-ed for at www.project-syndicate.org, The Disenchantment of Iraq.[March 18, 2013]
• Amb. Istrabadi appeared on PBS NewsHour on Monday, September 10th, 2012. Amb. Istrabadi shared his insights on the governance of Iraq, sectarian violence, and the coordinated bombings of Sunday, September 9th. View video
• NPR's To The Point on KCRW, Los Angeles interviewed Amb. Istrabadi regarding the current situation in Iraq and his own history in the region's government.
• AlJazeera about the recent violence in Iraq. June 13th, 2012 - Scores Killed in Iraq Attacks. View interview
• The BBC program The World Today regarding similarities between Syria now and the Iraq of Saddam Hussein. Segment begins at 26:30.  View interview
• The IU Newsroom Blog IU INC.
• "Profiles: Iraqi Politician and Diplomat" | Indiana Public Media, February 24, 2012
• "Does Maliki Want to Become Unchallenged Ruler of Iraq?" | PBS Newshour, December 20, 2011
• "Iraq: After Americans are Gone" | To the Point, December 13, 2011
• "Iraq's New Government:How Will It Tackle Old Challenges?" | PBS News Hour, November 11, 2010
• "Political deadlock damaging Iraq security - minister" | BBC News, September 7, 2010
• "Current and Future Perspectives on Iraq" | As It Happens - CBC, September 2, 2010
• "Iraq's Stalled Government: Which Blocs Will Form Core?" | PBS News Hour, September 2, 2010
• "End of Iraq Combat Mission: Annotating Obama's Address" | PBS News Hour, August 31, 2010

Publications

Islam and the State in Iraq: The Post-2003 Constitutions, in: Rainer Grote and Tilmann Röder (eds.), Constitutionalism in Islamic Countries: Between Upheaval and Continuity (Oxford University Press, October 2011)

A Constitution without Constitutionalism: Reflections on Iraq’s Failed Constitutional Processes, 87 Texas L. Review. 1627 (2009)

Rebuilding a Nation. Myths, Realities, and Solutions in Iraq, in: Harvard International Review (July 8, 2007)