Dr. Wajih Kawtharani is Research Professor and  Publication Manager of the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies. His research centers on social history and political sociology with a specific focus on Bilad-Accham, methodology of history and Islamic thought. Previously, he was the Director of Studies at the Center for Arab Unity Studies and Editor-in-Chief of the Minbar Al-Hiwar (Dialogue Forum) Journal. Kawtharani is also a professor emeritus of the Faculty of Humanities at the Lebanese University. He is the author of several books and dozens of articles published in Arab and Western periodicals. His notable publications include: • Between the jurisprudence of the Shiite reform and Welayat-el faqih • The jurisprudent (al-faqih) and the Sultan-a study of two experiences: the Ottoman and the Safavid Kajiri ones • Power, society and political action, since Ottoman mandate in the Arab Mashreq. • The social and political trends in Mount Lebanon and Arab Mashreq.