Oxford Research Group (ORG) is an independent non-governmental organisation and UK registered charity, which works together with others to promote a more sustainable approach to security for the UK and the world. In April 2005, ORG was named one of the top 20 think tanks in the UK by The Independent newspaper. It has three programmes; Human Security in the Middle East, Sustainable Security, and Recording the Casualties of Armed Conflict. It is now based in London.
Since 1982, ORG has been building trust between policy-makers, academics, the military and civil society. Employing internationally recognised consultants, ORG combines detailed knowledge with an understanding of political decision-making, and many years expertise in facilitating constructive dialogue. They use a combination of innovative publications, expert roundtables, residential consultations and engagement with opinion-formers and governments in order to develop and promote sustainable global security strategies.
The Managing Director since December 2009 is Chris Langdon. The founding Director, Scilla Elworthy was awarded the Niwano Peace Prize in 2003 for ORG's work on the promotion of disarmament and non-violent methods for resolving conflict. John Sloboda was Executive Director of Oxford Research Group from January 2004 to December 2009. He was Professor of Psychology at the University of Keele. In July 2004, John Sloboda was elected to the Fellowship of the British Academy. He directs ORG's programme, Recording the Casualties of Armed Conflict.
Paul Rogers (academic) is Global Security Consultant to Oxford Research Group. He is Professor of Peace Studies at the University of Bradford. He has worked in the field of international security, arms control and political violence for over 30 years. He lectures at universities and defence colleges in several countries and has written or edited 26 books, including Global Security and the War on Terror: Elite Power and the Illusion of Control (Routledge, 2008) and Why We're Losing the War on Terror (Polity, 2008). Since October 2001 he has written ORG monthly Briefing Papers on international security and the 'war on terror.' He is also a regular commentator on global security issues in both the national and international media, and is openDemocracy’s International Security Editor.
Gabrielle Rifkind is Director of the Human Security in the Middle East programme. She is a group analyst and specialist in conflict resolution. She has initiated and facilitated a number of Track II roundtables and hosts the 'Liddite' Conversations engaging senior British media figures. She is also working on developing dialogue between Iran, the US and Israel. She makes regular contributions to the press and media and is author, with Scilla Elworthy, of Making Terrorism History (Random House, 2005).
Oliver Ramsbotham has been Chair of the Board since April 2007. He was Professor of Peace Studies and Head of Department at Bradford University between 1999-2002. He is Emeritus Professor of Conflict Resolution. He is co-author of Contemporary Conflict Resolution (with Hugh Miall and Tom Woodhouse), Polity, Cambridge, 1999 and 2005; and author of Radical Disagreement: Dialogue, Discourse and Difference, Routledge, 2010.
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