Obituary

The Management Team of the Iraqi Economists Network (IEN) mourns with great sadness the passing of the Founder of the Network and its General Coordinator, Dr. Barik Muhammad Ridha Schubar, who passed away in Berlin on Saturday, June 15, 2024, after an illness that lasted only a few days.
In the absence of Dr. Schubar, Iraq’s economic, social, development, and academic circles have lost a prominent professional who made countless contributions to the economic, social, and political fields.
Dr. Schubar became one of the most prominent leaders of economic and development thought in Iraq due to his distinguished personal qualities, superior scientific and organizational abilities, and his diligent work over more than 45 years of professional activities. Despite his recently deteriorating health, he became the point of communication between economists and those concerned with economic and development affairs, whether Iraqis, Arabs, or foreigners, especially since he founded the IEN in 2009.
What also distinguished the late Dr. Schubar was his love for Iraq and his dedication to serving it as much as he could. He decided to return to Iraq to work in the academic field after completing his doctorate in 1980, but the politicization of universities and academic work in Iraq and the outbreak of the Iraq-Iran war made him change his mind. Evidence of his love for Iraq was the popular Iraqi and Baghdadi paintings and collectibles in his home in Berlin, and most importantly, the Iraqi palm tree that he planted in his home, which he cared for as if it were one of his children.
Despite the ethno-sectarian conflicts and the political and interest disputes that prevailed in Iraq in the years following the 2003 regime change, the late Dr. Schubar was above all of that. He insisted on “giving priority to the economy before politics,” believing that whenever politics divides, the economy could unite.
Dr. Schubar was born in Holy Karbala on April 12, 1946. He grew up in the city of Kadhimiya in Baghdad, where he completed high school. He then left for Germany in 1964 to study economic and social sciences and business administration. He obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the Faculty of Economic Sciences, University of Frankfurt am Main, Germany, in 1969, and a Higher Diploma (Diplom Volkswirt) in Macroeconomics from the Faculty of Economic Sciences, University of Marburg, Germany, in 1972. The topic of his Higher Diploma thesis was “Advantages and Disadvantages of Central Economic Planning in Developing Countries.” After that, he obtained a Doctor of Philosophy (Dr. Phil) in 1980 in development economics from the Faculty of Human Sciences, University of Marburg, Germany. The topic of his thesis was “Iraq’s Path to Development – the Factors Inhibiting and Stimulating the Process of Capital Accumulation in a Crude Oil Exporting Country.”
Dr. Schubar was a distinguished economist, international development consultant, and academic researcher in the fields of macroeconomics, energy economics, economic diversification, private sector development, strategic planning, international development cooperation, rationalization of energy consumption, quality management, and capacity development.
Over the course of his career, which spanned more than 45 years, our late colleague worked as a lecturer and scientific researcher in the Department of Political Science and Sociology – Faculty of Humanities at the University of Marburg, Germany (1973 – 1980) and as a consultant for many international and regional organizations, especially the Deutsche Technical Cooperation Organization (Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit) (GTZ) (1984 – 2007) and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) (2007 – 2024), both German, the European Union (2006 – 2007), and the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research (2004 – 2006). He also served as an economic and trade advisor for the private sector (1981 – 1985) in many developing countries, including Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia, Thailand, India, and Argentina.
In 2009, Dr. Schubar founded the IEN, which included an elite group of Iraqi, Arab, and foreign economists and those concerned with economic affairs in Iraq. IEN soon became a platform for discussions and exchanges of ideas and intellectual products in economic and development affairs between economists and those interested in economic affairs in Iraq. It has never lost its focus on addressing the economic and development challenges faced by post-2003 Iraq, especially the emerging needs for reconstruction, economic diversification, sustainable development, and spreading economic culture among members of the political class and all Iraqis. Thanks to the strenuous efforts and persistent work of our late colleague over 15 years, in his capacity as the General Coordinator, IEN and its website have become a reference in Iraqi economic and development affairs and an advisory destination for international and regional organizations in this regard.
The deceased’s professional activities were not limited to IEN. He was a member of the Advisory Board of the Iraqi Institute for Economic Reform, a member of the Advisory Board of the Organization of Experts Returning from Work Abroad at the GTZ, Secretary-General of the Iraqi Businessmen Council in Abu Dhabi (2005-2006), President of the Iraqi Cultural Club Ashtar in Frankfurt (2003 – 2004), founder and director of the Electronic Forum for Arab-German Dialogue (2002), and a member of the International Development Association and the International Middle East Economic Association.
May God have mercy on our deceased, grant him a good soul, and place him in spacious gardens. We continue to follow his path in honour of his memory and in commemoration of what he accomplished.
Iraqi Economists Network
Management Team