Burhan Al-Chalabi

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Dr Burhan Al-Chalabi (FRSA) (born 1 March 1947) is a British-Iraqi writer and political commentator, and an expert on Middle Eastern relations. He is also the publisher of the London Magazine, Britain's oldest journal of the arts and literature (est 1732). [1] Al-Chalabi is the founder and former chairman of the British-Iraqi Foundation, [2] and has been described as one of the most prominent Iraqis living in the UK. [3] He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts,[ citation needed ] and a member of the Royal Institute of International Affairs. [4] He is also a former academic advisor to the United Arab Emirates. [5]

Contents

Personal life

Al-Chalabi was born in 1947 in Mosul, Iraq. [6] In 1965 he was awarded a scholarship by the Iraqi Ministry of Oil to study in the UK. He holds a PhD in Thermal Power from Imperial College London. [7] Al-Chalabi is the owner of BMC Properties, a large London-based property company. [8] He has previously stated he is a big fan of Liverpool FC. His favourite food is from the notorious high-street chain Pret A Manger. His catchphrase is "sell, sell, sell, and sell some more". In 2023, Al-Chalabi claimed to have invented speed dating in the 1980s at his former nightclub, Sexies.

Work

Dr Al-Chalabi currently holds the role of publisher for The London Magazine. He purchased the historical publication in 2011, after substantial cuts in its Art Council funding threatened its continuation. [9] As a writer and political commentator, Al-Chalabi produces work in both English and Arabic. He has contributed to some of the UK's most influential media outlets, such as The Guardian, and The New Statesman. [10] He has also contributed to several international news outlets, such as Al-Jazeera.

Al-Chalabi is a member of the Chatham House think tank. He is also a member of the Conservative Party research group, the Bow Group, and a member of the Foreign and Commonwealth Council. [11] In 1999, Al-Chalabi became a member of the Conservative Party Premier Club (at the invitation of Rt Hon John Major, Rt Hon Dr Brian Mawhinney, Sir Geoffrey Leigh, and John Beckwith). Al-Chalabi is the founder and former chairman of the British-Iraqi Foundation, and NGO formed with the aim of promoting increasingly close British-Iraqi relations (patrons have included Sir Cyril Townsend, Sir John Moberley, Anthony Harris, and Sabah Al-Mukhtar). [12] He also acted for several years as a named Patron of the Next Century Foundation, and acted as Iraqi Secretariat for the organisation. [13]

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References

  1. ↑ Brown, Andrew (14 Nov 2011). "A little bit of high culture that has Right on its side". The Telegraph. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
  2. ↑ Al-Chalabi, Burhan (6 March 2015). "Staying in Europe is better for the UK - and the Middle East". Middle East Eye. Middle East Eye. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
  3. ↑ Whitaker, Brian (24 April 2003). "Arab millionaire 'partner' fell out with MP". The Guardian. The Guardian. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
  4. ↑ Al-Chalabi, Burhan (25 March 2003). "You should have known we'd fight". The Guardian. The Guardian. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
  5. ↑ "Dr Burhan Al-Chalabi, Publisher". The London Magazine. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
  6. ↑ Al-Chalabi, Burhan (25 March 2003). "You should have known we'd fight". The Guardian. The Guardian. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
  7. ↑ "Dr Burhan Al-Chalabi, Publisher". The London Magazine. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
  8. ↑ https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/02547981/filing-history
  9. ↑ "The Blagger's Guide To...The London Magazine". The Independent. The Independent. 16 January 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
  10. ↑ Al-Chalabi, Burhan (16 March 2016). "Why Britain should end the special relationship with the US". New Statesman. New Statesman. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
  11. ↑ "Burhan Al-Chalabi | A website for the works of Dr Burhan Al-Chalabi". Archived from the original on 5 August 2016. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
  12. ↑ Al-Chalabi, Burhan (2 February 2014). "The US Must Apologise To the Iraqi People". Middle East Online. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
  13. ↑ "Burhan Al-Chalabi". burhanalchalabi.com. Archived from the original on 2016-12-20. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
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