Beyond Intractability: A Free Knowledge Base on More Constructive Approaches to Destructive Conflict

Introduction: Peter Colemand describes how an abortion dialogue in Boston run by the Public Conversations Project had its genesis in a shooting.

This rough transcript provides a text alternative to audio. We apologize for occasional errors and unintelligible sections (which are marked with ???).

The Benefits of Conflict
Peter Coleman
Assistant Professor of Psychology and Education at Teachers College, Columbia University, and Director of the International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution at Columbia

Interviewed by
Julian Portilla
2003

Those women came together because of a shooting. A series of shootings that took place and it was the violence that encouraged them to engage and I'm sure it was suggested that they do and community and church leaders suggested that they do. So there was a constellation of factors that readied them to come together and do this process and it still took six years of quiet closed-door work.

The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in times of great moral crisis, maintain their neutrality. -- Dante

Featured Links
Organizations Making Noteworthy Contributions to Efforts to Promote More Constructive Conflict

Center for Human Rights and Conflict Resolution

Other Resources from
Beyond Intractability

A User's Guide for Third Siders
The Third Side concept was developed by William Ury. Third Siders are people who try to see both sides of a conflict and encourage cooperative solutions, fair fights, and decision making that advocates solutions which meet everyone's interests and needs as much as possible.

Nobel Peace Prize Winners

George Catlett Marshall
Former Secretary of State and Defense for the United States, originator of the Marshall Plan, and 1953 Nobel Peace Laureate

Beyond Intractability Version IV
Copyright © 2003-2007 The Beyond Intractability Project
Beyond Intractability is a Registered Trademark of the University of Colorado
Project Acknowledgements

The Beyond Intractability Knowledge Base Project
Guy Burgess and Heidi Burgess, Co-Directors and Editors
c/o Conflict Information Consortium (Formerly Conflict Research Consortium), University of Colorado
Campus Box 580, Boulder, CO 80309
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