Dr. Marc Gopin
"IGE's relational diplomacy names and respects theological differences while seizing upon common values and interests that build practical bridges between the heart and mind. The result is a remarkably innovative approach to religious freedom that builds peace in new and much needed ways while deepening our understanding of the complex issues at stake."
Dr. Marc Gopin
George Mason University Professor
Marc Gopin is the James H. Laue Professor of Religion, Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution, and the Director of the Center on Religion, Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University's Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution. He has participated in many of IGE's programs, including the 2003 Global Leadership Forum, and he published a chapter in IGE sponsored book Religion and Security (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2004).
Gopin has lectured on conflict resolution in Switzerland, Ireland, India, Italy, and Israel, as well as at Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Princeton, and numerous other academic institutions. Gopin has trained thousands of people worldwide in peacemaking strategies for complex conflicts in which religion and culture play a role. He conducts research on values dilemmas as they apply to international problems of globalization, clash of cultures, development, social justice and conflict.
Gopin has engaged in back channel diplomacy with religious, political and military figures on both sides of conflicts, especially in the Arab/Israeli conflict. Gopin's research is found in numerous book chapters and journal articles, and he is the author of Between Eden and Armageddon: The Future of World Religions, Violence and Peacemaking (Oxford University Press, 2000), and Holy War, Holy Peace: How Religion Can Bring Peace to the Middle East (Oxford University Press, 2002), 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, Healing the Heart of Conflict was published in 2004 by Rodale Press. Dr. Gopin received a Ph.D. in religious ethics from Brandeis University in 1993.