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

Misunderstandings
	Nancy Ferrell explains how you need to overtly change erroneous perceptions and work hard to figure out what those perceptions are.
	In a case of Iranian students being harrassed and attacked by white students in Oklahoma, the Iranian students did not understand the role of the local police and the laws that limited their involvement, says Nancy Ferrell.
	Nancy Ferrell explains how rumors can be controlled by opening lines of credible communication.
	Nancy Ferrell explains that some situations call for "technical assistance," while at other times, "table mediation" is necessary. The existing level of communication is one determining factor.
	Civil rights mediator Efrain Martinez explains how cultural misunderstandings between Vietnamese and local fisherman in Texas caused tensions and eventually a killing (though the killing isn't described here).
	Efrain Martinez explains how the mediation process itself can create trust where none existed before.
	Will Reed explains how establishing communication is key to forming relationships that will allow parties to solve problems over the long term.

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

Information is the currency of democracy. -- Thomas Jefferson

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

Canada-Us Human Rights Information and Documentation Network

Other Resources from
Beyond Intractability

Conflict Transformation
Lederach's vision of of the key to ending destructive conflict.

Nobel Peace Prize Winners

Oscar Arias Sanchez
President of Costa Rica, and 1987 Nobel Peace Laureate

Beyond Intractability Version IV
Copyright © 2003-2010 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
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