Gabrielle Rifkind

Expert conflict negotiator Gabrielle Rifkind works behind the scenes to bring opposing sides to the bargaining table before and when conflicts become violent. Founder and Director of the independent mediation organization Oxford Process, she works quietly off the record with groups in armed conflict to identify opportunities to prevent escalation, reduce tension, and create pathways to peace.

Rifkind combines in-depth political and psychological expertise with many years’ experience in promoting serious analysis and dialogue. Her focus of work over the past two decades has been the Iran nuclear issue, the proxy wars in Syria and the Palestine-Israel conflict. More recently, she has been working on the Russia-Ukraine war, keeping lines of communication open between both parties. Believing passionately in preventive diplomacy, she has initiated a new project on how to prevent war in Taiwan.

Rifkind, who is also an artist, is an accomplished public communicator and has showcased her innovative methods through public lectures on peacemaking and debate at the Oxford Union. She is one of two conflict mediators regularly featured on BBC Radio 4’s "Across the Red Line." She has written for numerous journals and newspapers, including the New England Journal of Public Policy, The Times, Guardian, and Independent.

Rifkind is the author of "The Psychology of Political Extremism," and co-author, with peace activist Scilla Elworthy, of "Making Terrorism History." Additionally, she co-wrote "The Fog of Peace: The Human Face of Conflict Resolution" with former senior UN diplomat Giandomenico Picco. She is at work on her fourth book, "Uncommon Ground: From Conflict to Communication."