Alastair Crook is the Director and founder of the Conflicts Forum. Before establishing this forum, Alastair Crooke was Security Advisor to Javier Solana, the European Union High Representative and Head of Foreign and Security Policy. He was also a staff member of the Mitchell Committee that inquired into the causes of the Intifada (2000-2001). Mr. Crooke’s work as a part of that inquiry facilitated the foundation for the peace process in the post-2001 period.

In the wake of his Mitchell Committee experience, Mr Crooke worked with Palestinian groups to forge a unilateral ceasefire declaration; one in 2003, and two in 2004. His work brought him in close contact with officials of Israel and the Palestinian Authority. As a result of that, Crooke is the foremost international expert on Hamas and its internal workings.

Prior to his work with the European Union, Crooke spent many years contributing to mediation, management and resolution of the conflicts in Northern Ireland, South Africa, Namibia, Afghanistan, Cambodia and Colombia.

Crooke holds a Masters degree from St. Andrews Univerity in the United Kingdom, where he specialized in Economics and Politics. He is currently among the most widely published commentators on the Middle East crisis.

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