Rothbart’s work is motivated by a profound curiosity to understand the contrasting behaviors of individuals—why some exhibit cruelty while others demonstrate compassion, even in the face of the horrors of war. He explores new avenues for understanding violence, discovering innovative approaches to promote peace in conflict-affected regions worldwide.

Daniel Rothbart is the Druscilla French Chair in Conflict Analysis and Resolution at the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, George Mason University. He currently serves as the director of the peace lab called Transforming the Mind for Peace and co-director of the Program on Prevention of Mass Violence.

Professor Rothbart’s academic writings include 10 authored and edited books and 68 articles and chapters in scholarly journals. Through his publications and peace-making practices, he delves deeply into the underbelly of protracted violent conflicts to reveal why and how otherwise peaceful communities resort to large-scale violence against their adversaries. He has produced detailed case studies of conflicts in Africa, Asia and the United States. His most recent book publication, State Domination and the Psycho-Politics of Conflict, examines the source of conflicts in the destructive power of governmental forces to manipulate the minds of low power groups for purposes of systemic control. In his book Violent Conflict and Peacebuilding: The Continuing Crisis in Darfur (co-authored), he examines the genocidal violence that occurred in the Darfur region of Sudan, which is a country ravaged by many wars since its independence in 1956. His book Civilians and Modern War: Armed Conflict and the Ideology of Violence (co-authored) examines the tragically routine devastation civilians who are often targeted by military forces.

Informed by these studies, he has engaged in many peace-making projects, such as leading a team of investigators of human rights violations and in another project serving as co-manager of a conflict resolution process to prevent the outbreak of large-scale violence. His research and practice has been supported by the U. S. Department of State, U.S. Agency for International Development, Templeton Foundation, El Hibri Foundation, American Council of Learned Societies and George Mason University. His current project centers on the reasons why political extremists in the United States resort to violence and how to disengage them from hostilities.

Professor Rothbart received his Ph.D. in philosophy from Washington University, St. Louis, and began his academic career at George Mason University. He also served as visiting research scholar at University of Oxford, Cambridge University and Dartmouth College.