Marc Gopin is James H. Laue Professor and Director of George Mason University’s Center on Religion, Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution. As an author, professor, researcher, and consultant, Gopin brings an expert eye to issues of peace and global conflict. His particular emphasis is on the role of religion and culture in not only sparking conflict, but as critical to reaching lasting resolution between peoples and nations. Widely recognized for his lectures and trainings on peacemaking strategies, Gopin has worked in Ireland, Israel, India, Switzerland, and Italy, and has presented at Harvard, Yale, Columbia, and Princeton Universities. He has also engaged in back channel diplomacy with religious, political, and military figures on both sides of entrenched conflicts, especially in the Arab/Israeli conflict.
Dr. Gopin is the author of Between Eden and Armageddon: The Future of World Religions, Violence and Peacemaking, as well as Holy War, Holy Peace, a study on what was missing from the Oslo process and what will be necessary culturally for a successful Arab/Israeli peace process. His latest book is Healing the Heart of Conflict: Eight Steps to Mending Broken Relationships.
He has appeared on numerous U.S. media outlets, including CNN, CNN International, Court TV, The Jim Lehrer News Hour, National Public Radio, The Connection, Voice of America, as well as on radio programs in Israel, Sweden, Ireland, and Northern Ireland. He has been published in the International Herald Tribune, the Boston Globe, the Christian Science Monitor, and his work has been featured in news stories of the Times of London, the Times of India, Associated Press, and Newhouse News Service, regarding issues of conflict resolution, religion, and violence.
Dr. Gopin was ordained as a rabbi at Yeshiva University in 1983 and received a Ph.D. in religious ethics from Brandeis University in 1993. He is a senior researcher at the Fletcher School for Law and Diplomacy’s Institute for Human Security.
He is working in partnership with the Fetzer Foundation to create a web-based video series and book, To Make the Earth Whole: Creating Global Community in an Age of Religious Militancy, on enemies who become friends and close partners. More information can be found on www.marcgopin.com, his weblog dedicated to addressing the transformation of conflicts facing humanity.