History

The Next Century Foundation was established in 1990 by the late Claud Morris. Its conception followed the long and destructive Iraq-Iran war, the repeated decimation of Lebanon and the seemingly endless tragedy of Palestine. In what appeared then to be a period of little hope for change in the Middle East, a new approach was needed to change the stalemate in the Middle East arena. The initial membership consisted of a coalition of like-minded British, Arab and Jewish figures from diverse backgrounds; business, politics, diplomacy and journalism. Prominent members included:    

• Lord Weinstock.
• Lord Alliance of Manchester CBE
• Mr. Jhaweed Al Ghussein 
• Lord Goodman 
• Mr. Haim Zaidok 
• The Duke of Devonshire.

These founding members felt that private rather than public diplomacy would be crucial in bringing about positive change in the Middle East, removed from the often-damaging glare of media attention. Meetings of the new Foundation were and continue to be held without publicity, in total confidence, in a spirit of candour and frankness. Over the years, the Next Century Foundation broadened the scope of its operations. From a forum focusing almost exclusively on the Arab-Israeli conflict, it began applying the same principles of discretion, trust and plain speaking to other areas of instability, both in the Middle East and further afield, in locations as diverse as Kosovo, kashmir and Sudan.What has happened since NCF’s founding? In Madrid and Washington in the mid-1990s, the first steps toward peace were made. Progress has been hard-won, but there persists a defiant spirit of hope and reconciliation which continues to move the Middle East gradually forwards.The NCF itself has achieved a number of notable successes over the course of its existence:

• Run missions into Iraq on behalf of the UK Minister of State for Foreign Affairs prior to the Iraq war, to examine prospects for war avoidance.
• Established the new International Media Council to examine problems of bias and racism in the media.
• Provided the only forum for direct dialogue between Serbs and Albanians over Kosovo (The West only permitted proximity talks at the time).
• Produced seminal reports on shared sovereignty issues with regard to Kashmir and Jerusalem
• Worked assiduously on Mid East Peace Process issues including Democracy for Peace, a resident Commissioner for Conciliation and a Comprehensive Peace Process, based on the Abdullah Plan/Arab Peace Initiative.

 The NCF remains active on a wide range of issues. The current Secretary General is William Morris.