Raghid Kazem El-Solh (7 July 1942 – 1 February 2017) was a Lebanese writer and researcher in international and Arab regional relations as well as democracy issues. He published several books about international relations, the Arab region and democracy. He was a regular contributor to several publications including the London-based pan-Arab Al-Hayat newspaper, and was a regular lecturer, political commentator and a consultant for the UN and other organizations. Raghid was the son of Kazem El-Solh, a former member of

Lebanese Parliament The Lebanese Parliament (, ) is the unicameral national parliament of the Lebanon, Republic of Lebanon. There are 128 members elected to a four-year term in Electoral district, multi-member constituencies, apportioned among Lebanon's divers ...

and a former Lebanese ambassador to Iraq. He hails from a prominent

Sunni Muslim Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Musli ...

family which gave Lebanon four prime ministers:

Riad Solh Riad Al Solh (; 17 August 1894 – 17 July 1951) was a Lebanese politician and statesman who served as the first and fifth prime minister of Lebanon from 1943 to 1945 and from 1946 to 1951, respectively.Sami Solh Sami (El) Solh (; 1887–1968) was a Lebanese Sunni Muslim politician. He was a relative of former Lebanese prime ministers Riad Solh, Takieddine Solh and Rachid Solh. He served as Prime Minister of Lebanon five times (1942–43, 1945–46, 1 ...

Takieddine Solh Takieddin el-Solh (also Takieddin Solh, Takieddin as-Solh; ) (1908 – 27 November 1988) was a Lebanese politician who served as the Prime Minister of Lebanon from 1973 to 1974, and again briefly in 1980. El-Solh was born in Sidon, Lebanon. ...

and

Rachid Solh Rachid Solh (; 22 June 1926 – 27 June 2014) was a Lebanese politician and former Prime Minister, kin of one of the most eminent Sunni Muslim families in the country several of whose members became prime ministers, and that was originally fro ...

Career

Raghid Kazem El-Solh earned a B.A. in political science from the

American University of Beirut The American University of Beirut (AUB; ) is a private, non-sectarian, and independent university chartered in New York with its main campus in Beirut, Lebanon. AUB is governed by a private, autonomous board of trustees and offers programs le ...

(1964), a M.Sc. in political science from the School of Oriental & African Studies at the University of London (1978) and a PhD in politics and international relations from St. Antony's College, Faculty of Social Science, at the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

(1986). He is the author of several books including: Peaceful Settlement and Arab Unity (1980), Lebanon on the Road to the Future (1979), Oman and the South-Eastern Shore of Arabia (Archive documents on the history of the Arab world series) (1997), The Sultanate of Oman 1939-1945 (2000), The Sultanate of Oman 1914-1918 (2000), The Sultanate of Oman 1918-1939: Part I (2000), The Sultanate of Oman 1918-1939: Part II (2000), The Sultanate of Oman 1918-1939: Part III (2000), The Sultanate of Oman 1945 Onwards (2000), Britain's Two Wars with Iraq (2003), and Lebanon and Arabism, 1936-1945 (2004). He was a visiting fellow at the Institute for Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at the University of Durham, U.K. He did consultancy work for the UN and other organizations covering Arab regional affairs, democracy, governance, justice, and human rights.

Personal life

Raghid El-Solh was born on July 7, 1942, in Beirut. He was the son of Kazem El-Solh and Yesser Kamel El-Solh. Raghid was married to Camillia Fawzi, an Egyptian/Irish socio-economist independent consultant, who died 18 months after him on August 29, 2018. They have a daughter Lina and two grandchildren Harry and Lily. He was the brother of Hannah, Khaldoun and Nawal El-Solh. Raghid died at the age of 74 on February 1, 2017, in Oxford, U.K. He was buried in Beirut, following a memorial at St Antony's College, Oxford.

Legacy

The Raghid Kazem El-Solh Travel Grant was established after he died to help PhD students registered at the University of Oxford in their research across member states of the League of Arab States, focusing on democracy and governance, justice and human rights, regionalism and parliamentary processes, and other relevant subjects in the politics and international relations of the Arab world.

References

External links

Raghid el-Solh (1942–2017)

''The Maingate, the American University of Beirut magazine''
Beirut, Lebanon, Spring, 2018.
''Dr. Raghid Kazem El-Solh Profile''
The Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research, U.A.E., 2018.
''Lebanon and Arabism''
By Raghid el-Solh, I.B. Tauris Publishers, 2004, page 147. {{DEFAULTSORT:Solh, Raghid 1942 births 2017 deaths Lebanese Muslims Liberalism in Lebanon Lebanese writers Al Solh family American University of Beirut alumni Alumni of the University of London Alumni of St Antony's College, Oxford Academics of Durham University