Dubai: The Arab Strategy Forum, a platform that brings together world leaders and opinion makers to discuss political and financial issues, will begin on Sunday at the Ritz-Carlton in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC).
This year’s notable speakers include: Princeton University professor and the 2008 Nobel Memorial Prize winner, Paul Krugman; former Ministry of Foreign affairs of Egypt, Ahmad Aboul Gheit; Stanford University professor, Francis Fukuyama; Secretary-General of Opec, Abdullah Salem Al Badri and New York University professor Bruce Bueno de Mesquita.
Launched in 2001, the Arab Strategy Forum focuses on foreseeing the future and gaining a deeper understanding of major political and financial issues that affect the Arab world and the international community. Previous distinguished speakers include former US president Bill Clinton and former prime minister of Lebanon, the late Rafik Hariri.
This year’s forum will feature a series of sessions that discuss and debate the transformations in the global and Arab political landscape as well as political conflicts and potential scenarios.
From an economic point of view, experts will examine economic trends and challenges to global economic growth. The panellists will also identify solutions to overcome these challenges with a view to enhancing competitiveness and economic diversification towards enabling sustainable development.
In addition to winning the Nobel Prize, Paul Krugman was also chosen as one of Bloomberg’s 50 most influential people in global finance. The Princeton University professor is one of the founders of the ‘new trade theory’ - a major rethinking of the theory of international trade.
Stanford University international studies professor, Francis Fukuyama, has had a bustling career in politics and academia. He was a member of the US delegation to the Egyptian-Israeli talks on Palestinian autonomy and served on the President’s Council on Bioethics. He was also a member of the Political Science Department at the Rand Corporation and is currently a member of the Board of Trustees.
Secretary-General of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec), Abdullah Salem Al Badri will also speak at the event. In 2013, he was honoured with the Abdullah Bin Hamad Al Attiyah International Energy Award for Lifetime Achievement for his contribution to the advancement of Opec.
Bruce Bueno de Mesquita is a professor of politics and director of the Alexander Hamilton Centre for Political Economy at the New York University. he has served as an adviser to the American government on national security matters and to numerous corporations on issues related to forecasting and engineering outcomes in negotiations involving mergers and acquisitions, litigation, regulation, and legislation.
Ahmad Aboul Gheit was the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt between 2004 and 2011. He also served as Egypt’s representative to the UN from 1999 to 2004.
