Lecture by Dean Hiram Chodosh, S.J. Quinney College of Law

Recorded: August 10, 2011

The history of revolution teaches us that the toppling of stubbornly repressive regimes requires an unusual combination of global and local forces and a special alignment of both mind-boggling incompetence at the top with extraordinary courage and political skill at the bottom. History also teaches us that as hard as it is to topple the anciene regimes, it is far more difficult to replace dysfunctional, authoritarian systems with effective, self-limiting, democratic governments that are dedicated to peace and prosperity for all. In the spring of 2011, we all observed the sudden, sweeping, and largely successful efforts to topple the governments of Tunisia and Egypt and the ongoing struggles in Lybia, Syria, Yemen, Bahrain, and other countries throughout the region. Yet, the development of constitutional democracies, prosperous economies, and freedom and security for the peoples of the Middle East is far from certain. Arab spring may (or may not) turn into a constitutional summer or fall, and if history is any guide, the road ahead is blocked with obstacles. Based on 18 years of experience in Middle Eastern and Asian legal reform, most recently as the director of the Global Justice Project: Iraq, Dean Hiram Chodosh discussed the constitutional challenges of design and implementation that the Middle East will confront.