Zaid Al-Ali

Zaid Al-Ali is an independent scholar and lawyer specializing in constitutional negotiations, peace negotiations, and commercial arbitration. He is currently a Visiting Research Scholar at Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, where he contributes to academic discourse on comparative constitutional law and conflict dynamics in the Arab region.

Education:

• King’s College London
• University of Paris 1 (Pantheon Sorbonne)
• Harvard Law School

His primary research interests include comparative constitutional law in Arab-majority countries, constitutional negotiations, and the intersection of legal disputes in the energy sector with political conflict resolution. He has lived in the Middle East for two decades, gaining fluency in Arabic dialects and collaborating with policymakers and mediators.

Teaching & Fellowships:

• Teaching experience at Princeton University, Sciences-Po Paris, University of Carthage, and Central European University
• 2019–2020 Fellow at the Berlin Institute of Advanced Studies

Professional Contributions:

• Authored two influential books: The Struggle for Iraq’s Future (2014) and Arab Constitutionalism: The Coming Revolution (2021)
• Supported constitutional processes in Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen, Libya, and Sudan through the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA)
• Contributed op-eds to major publications like the New York Times and Washington Post