International Management

HE Mikhail Gorbachev, former President of the USSR - Co-Chairman of Center.
Mikhail Gorbachev, arguably the greatest statesman of the 20th century, presided as General Secretary of Central Committee of CPSU and President of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991. During his tenure, his attempts at reform led to the end of the Cold War and the liquidation of the totalitarian system in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. Gorbachev's revolutionary reforms to the Soviet political landscape included the granting of freedom of speech, free elections, transitioning to a free market economy, and establishing good diplomatic relations with the West. These sweeping reforms are known as glasnost ("openness"), perestroika ("restructuring"), and uskoreniye ("acceleration", of economic development), which were launched in April 1985. He was awarded the Nobel peace prize in 1990.

Since retiring from politics, Gorbachev has been involved in a series of initiatives to promote dialogue, peace, and democratic values. In addition to actively serving as Co-Chairman of the S. Daniel Abraham Center for Strategic Dialogue, he has formed the Gorbachev Foundation, an international non-governmental foundation whose aim is to help assert democratic values and moral, humanistic principles in society and search for guidelines for building a new, more equitable international order. In1993, he also founded Green Cross International, an international environmentalist organization, through which he became one of three major sponsors of the Earth Charter. In 2003, he founded World Political Forum.

HRH Prince Hassan Bin Talal of Jordan - Co-Chairman

Prince El Hassan initiated, founded and is actively involved in a number of Jordanian and international institutes and committees. In Jordan he chaired the committees overseeing the first development plan 1973-1975, and subsequently the three development plans of 1976n1980, 1981n1985 and 1986n1990. His Royal Highness founded the Royal Scientific Society in 1970; the annual Bilad Al-Sham Conference in 1978; the Al al-Bait Foundation in 1980; the Arab Thought Forum in 1981 and the Jordan Higher Council for Science and Technology in 1987. His Royal Highness established the Islamic Scientific Academy; the Triannual Conferences on the History and Archaeology of Jordan; the Hashemite Aid and Relief Agency; the Centre for Educational Development; the Institute for Diplomacy and the Al al-Bait University in Mafraq.

On the international stage, many of Prince El Hassanis ideas and initiatives have acted as a catalyst. Addressing the 36th Session of the United Nations in 1981, His Royal Highness proposed the establishment of the New International Humanitarian Order, which led to a request by the Secretary General to found and co-chair the Independent Commission on International Humanitarian Issues (ICIHI). The final report of the Commission was adopted as a resolution at the 42nd General Assembly. An International Cultures Foundation was established in July 2002 to promote understanding among different cultures and to enhance dialogue between their thinkers and intellectuals. In July 2003, as a joint initiative with John Marks from Search for Common Ground (SFCG), His Royal Highness launched Partners in Humanity. This project aims to improve understanding, build positive relationships and promote dialogue between the Muslim world and the U.S.

For biographical information on His Royal Highness, click here.