A video recording of this event is available for viewing on our YouTube Channel.
The Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School
and Religions and the Practice of Peace at Harvard Divinity School
are pleased to present :
Peace in the Middle East? Problems and Possibilities
with
Director and Co-founder, Forward Thinking
Moderated by
Daniel L. Shapiro
Associate Professor, Harvard Medical School/McLean Hospital
Associate Director, Harvard Negotiation Project
Thursday, April 20, 2017
12:15 PM – 1:15 PM
Langdell Hall South
Harvard Law School
About the Talk:
Oliver McTernan has been instrumental in facilitating behind-the-scenes dialogue in some of the world’s most intractable conflicts. Discover what he has learned through these processes – including major obstacles and possibilities for creating a more peaceful Middle East.
About the Speaker:
Oliver McTernan is the director and co-founder of Forward Thinking, a UK-based organization that works to prevent and resolve conflict at a national and global level and to promote understanding between cultures. His latest book Violence in God’s Name, published in August 2003, explores the roots of violence within each of the major faith traditions.
He is currently a member of the Board of Directors for the Shades Negotiation Program, an initiative that provides educational experiences for mid-career leaders from both Israeli and Palestinian communities, with a focus on building negotiation and leadership skills.
Prior to taking up his present job in 2004, he was senior advisor to the Club of Madrid, a group of former Heads of State and Government who are committed to supporting governments in transition to democracy.
From 2000-2003, he was a Visiting Fellow of the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Harvard University, where he studied the failure of peace processes and the relationship between religion and conflict.
He is a Senior Associate Fellow of the UK Defense Academy, and in 2002 he initiated the first post conflict discussions between the Government in Belgrade and NATO. In January 2004, he organized and directed the NATO sponsored research workshop on the Roots of Terrorism, which was held in Prague. In 1985 he founded Partners in Hope, a UK based charity which works to support the development of the social welfare in Russia and the former Soviet States.
For 25 years he was a member of the Executive Committee of Pax Christi International and was responsible for the movement’s East-West Dialogue program.
For 30 years he worked as a Parish Priest in Islington and Notting Hill in Central London. In 1998 he was awarded the International Gold Medallion for his ‘outstanding contribution to inter-faith understanding’. He resigned from being a Catholic priest in 2000 to focus on his work in conflict resolution.
He broadcasts regularly on the BBC and Al Jazeera, and is a freelance contributor to The Guardian.
