Abstract

This presentation consider the reach of the Arab Spring into the GCC area. It investigates the depth of reform and engagement with youth, opposition and ethnic or religious movements in the region, and considers the strategies adopted by the ruling elites in addressing pressure for change. Particular emphasis is placed on the role of the Gulf Cooperation Council in this respect.

Malik Dahlan is the Principal of Institution Quraysh for Law & Policy (iQ); Chief Lawyer, MBR Legal and; International Chair of the Harvard Law School Association. He is a prominent Arabian multi-jurisdictional qualified lawyer and one of the leading international regulatory law and public policy experts in the Middle East. He is an expert in negotiation theory and dispute resolution, an accredited mediator, an academic and rule of law activist, philanthropist and regional and transnational political entrepreneur.

He completed his Civil Law and Jurisprudential Studies in Jordan he obtained his (LL.B.). He then obtained a Masters in special studies in Government at the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) in addition to receiving his American legal training at Harvard Law School (LL.M.). He also completed a Masters Degree (AM in Regional Studies) at the Center for Middle East Studies, (CMES) also at Harvard. He also obtained a Habilitation Professorial Doctorate from Al-Azhar University and served as a professorial fellow at the National University of Singapore.