Colum Murphy

Colum de Sales Murphy is the President of the Geneva School of Diplomacy and International Relations.

He has more than 30 years of experience in diplomacy. His studies in International Relations were pursued in his native Ireland, at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government and at the University of Geneva. Murphy specialized in the study of the roots of war and conflict and served the cause of peace with the United Nations and the European Union. He served in the field of peace negotiation in several wars, including those of Somalia, Liberia, the former Yugoslavia and numerous other conflicts. He spent over four years in Sarajevo during and after the war there and wrote extensively on that conflict. During the war, he was United Nations Deputy Head of Political Affairs inside Bosnia. After the conflict, he served in that country as Spokesman of the international community.

Murphy served the United Nations in many capacities over several decades: in the Security Council, as Special Assistant to the UN Secretaries-General, as a Political Officer and as a Human Rights Officer. He taught such courses as: War and Diplomacy; Leadership and Negotiation; Political Philosophy; International Economics; Sociology; Comparative Foreign Policy; and Foreign Affairs and Today's News.

Published printed works

• "In Courage-Dreams Caught" (poetry);
• "Sarajevo: Snapshot by Candlelight" (novel);
• "Aza Beast": Attacking the Roots of War - A Bosnian War Journal" (Pandora/Smisao, Bursinel, Switzerland, 2004).

Links/writings

• Prof. Murphy's official website
• "Attacking the Roots of War - Sarajevo Snap-Shot by Candle-Light", written by Prof. Colum Murphy
• "A 'New Deal' for the United Nations", written by Prof. Murphy
• "UN Reform: The View from Switzerland", written by Prof. Murphy
• Video coverage of Srebrenica, War-Time “CandleLight” speech
• Geneva's School of Diplomacy official website