The first decade of the 21st Century has witnessed an unprecedented increase in conflict and terror related activities across the globe leading to the implosion of old world certainties in places like Europe and the MENA region. Join Mark Muller Stuart as he explores why this might be so as he charts the rise of a number of remarkable, new innovative non-state and small power mediators who have helped ameliorate some of the world’s most intractable conflicts by using soft power tools. Discover the power of non-state and small nation dialogue as Mark reveals just how powerful Scotland’s voice could be in the field of conflict resolution and international affairs more generally.
Mark Muller Stuart QC is the founder of Beyond Borders Scotland, an Edinburgh based organisation dedicated to facilitating cultural dialogue and exchange between nations. He has been a UN Standby Mediation Expert since 2015, in support of the Syria, Yemen, South Sudan and Georgia peace processes. He is a senior British barrister (Queen’s Counsel) and international lawyer specialising in public international law and human rights and was the Chair of the Bar Human Rights Committee between 2005-12. He has first-hand experience of negotiations between governments and armed groups and has worked in a number of conflict zones including Afghanistan, Georgia, Iraq, Palestine Libya and Syria. Mark is a founding director of the Delfina Foundation and fellow of Harvard Law School.
