UAlbany Experts Advisory: Destabilization in Iraq and the Global Economic Implications

Violence in Iraq has threatened to destabilize the government and may have global implications on the price of oil.

ALBANY, N.Y. (June 18, 2014) -- As militants from the "Islamic State in Iraq and Syria" (ISIS) conquer more cities, threatening to overthrow the government of Nouri al-Maliki, the entire Middle East region once again faces destabilization. The situation has become tense enough that U.S. and Iranian government officials are contemplating working together to peacefully resolve the situation. There are also concerns that the international price of oil could rise sharply if Iraq were to collapse into civil war.

University at Albany experts in economics, terrorism and finance can offer analysis on the impact of violence in Iraq on the U.S. and the rest of the world, including:

• Victor Asal, associate professor of Political Science with the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy is an expert on the interaction of international relations and domestic politics and how this interaction influences ethnic conflict and ethnic terrorism. Asal has taught courses in terrorism, ethnic conflict, democratization, negotiation and crisis management. He has worked as a negotiation trainer in a variety of settings running simulations on negotiation, democracy, and domestic regimes.

UAlbany experts can discuss whether violence in Iraq will result in a spike in the price of gas in the United States.

• Kajal Lahiri, distinguished professor of Economics with the College of Arts and Sciences is an expert on economic forecasting and applied econometrics. He developed the Transportation Services Index utilized by the U.S. Department of Transportation and followed by economists, exchanges and investment groups from around the world. Over the past two decades, Lahiri's development of statistical methods to study economics and related subjects has had wide-ranging policy applications.
• Hany Shawky, professor of Finance with UAlbany's School of Business, is widely published on asset pricing, stock market behavior, and international financial markets. Shawky has served as a consultant to many private and public organizations. He teaches corporate finance, investment analysis, and portfolio management.  

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