Diplomacy and Mediation in a Contested World

Diplomacy and Mediation in a Contested World

Seminar

Speaker: Dr. Majed Al-Ansari
Chair: Faisal Devji and Galip Dalay
Date: 20 October 2025, 5.30pm-7.00pm
Venue: Gillis Lecture Theatre, Balliol College, University of Oxford

Abstract

War, conflict and great power competition define the international security environment. But these phenomena are not static, and as the nature of war changes so does that of mediation and negotiation. From Gaza to Afghanistan and beyond, Qatar has emerged as a key mediator for some of the most intractable conflicts of our time. Dr Ansari will speak on this new landscape of war and peace and describe Qatar's role in redefining it.

About the speaker

Majed Al-Ansari is Advisor to the Prime Minister and the Official Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar. Previously, he served as the Director of Policy at the Institute of Social and Economic Survey Research (SESRI) at Qatar University (QU). During his work at the university, he also served as an assistant professor at QU's Department of International Affairs. He started his career as a researcher in international relations at the office of the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs in 2005.

He is actively engaged with various local, regional and international research centres and think tanks. He established and heads the Center for International Policy Research (CIPR), which works on political risk analysis, consulting for the government and commercial sectors, on conflicts, Track Two diplomacy, humanitarian and development issues, and management of events in the Arabian Gulf region and beyond.

He received his bachelor's degree in political science from Leeds University in the UK as well as a MA and PhD in social change from the Cathy Marsh Institute at the University of Manchester.