Ali Rod Khadem

Biography

Professor Khadem’s scholarly interests concern the intersections between language, intellectual history, philosophy, and psychology. In his research, he applies this multidisciplinary approach to several areas of inquiry, including Islamic and other religious laws, Chinese law, international law, national and international security, constitutional law, and comparative business law. He also has a keen interest in the development of new approaches to dispute resolution, ranging from complex business disputes to seemingly intractable religious and ethnic conflict.

Professor Khadem completed a PhD and MA at Harvard University in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations and a JD at UC Berkeley, where served on the editorial staff of the California Law Review. At UC Berkeley, he also earned an MA in Near Eastern Studies and a BA with a double major in Environmental Science and Peace and Conflict Studies. He knows several languages, including Arabic, Mandarin Chinese, Farsi, and French, and has studied ancient Greek.

Prior to entering academia, Professor Khadem completed a federal judicial clerkship (U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida) and began career in private practice in New York City, followed by several years working overseas in Asia, the Middle East, and Australia. During this time, he worked as an associate in King & Spalding’s Middle East and Islamic finance group, an associate in the China mergers and acquisitions group of Linklaters, a senior director for global strategic relationships at Westport Innovations, and a senior vice president for Asia and Middle East strategy at Macquarie Capital.

Professor Khadem previously taught alternative dispute resolution, contracts, commercial law, and Islamic law at the law schools of Deakin University (in Australia) and UC Berkeley. While at UC Berkeley, he also served as a fellow at the Miller Institute for Global Challenges and the Law, and spearheaded the formation of international academic partnerships in China and Turkey.

Education

• PhD, MA, Harvard University
• JD, MA, BA, University of California at Berkeley

Publications

Articles

• Why Should Law and Policy Makers Understand Extremist Beliefs? The Islamic State (ISIS) as a Case Study: Past, Present, Future 23 Lewis & Clark L. Rev. 101 (2019)
• The Doctrine of Separation in Classical Islamic Jurisprudence 4 UCLA J. Islamic & Near E.L. 95 (2005).

Books

• Contemporary Islamic Theories of Final World Order (Edinburgh University Press) (Forthcoming 2020)

Book Chapters

• Islamic Derivatives: Past, Present and Future, in Islamic Capital Markets: Products & Strategies (John Wiley & Sons, 2011).

Bar Admittance

• NY