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

Power
	Nancy Ferrell talks about the difference between "power over" and "power with," and discusses how a transition can be made from the former to the latter during mediation.
	Stephen Thom discusses the need to "level the playing field" for mediation between parties of unequal power.
	Werner Petterson describes the symptoms of a power imbalance, and talks about what can be done to lessen its destructive effects.
	Nancy Ferrell discusses the important fact that empowerment of one party is a benefit to all, and doesn't diminish anyone else's standing in a mediation.
	Will Reed emphasizes that empowerment is a side-effect of the work that he does, not the primary goal.
	Julian Klugman discusses a situation involving a school system, in which empowerment of a minority population was achieved partly through nonviolent direct action.
	Ozell Sutton discusses empowerment and "systemic illiteracy" -- a lack of understanding about how to work within "the system" to become empowered.
	Stephen Thom talks about how police officers can empower community members to deal with problems.
	Wallace Warfield describes how parties often try to disempower each other before even reaching the table, and talks about how this can be addressed by the intervenor.
	Civil rights mediator Ozell Sutton always tried to help the parties learn how to deal with their future problems themselves.
	Stephen Thom discusses a case in which he guided a school principal through a student empowerment process over the phone.
	Ozell Sutton discusses the nature of power and authority.
	Nancy Ferrell describes how she coaches all the parties so they can participate effectively in the mediation process.
	Community Relations Service Mediator Silke Hansen describes how it helps to level the playing field by helping community groups prepare for mediation.

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

We could never learn to be brave and patient, if there were only joy in the world. -- Helen Keller

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

American Sociological Association: Section on Peace, War, and Social Conflict

Other Resources from
Beyond Intractability

Reporting on Conflict
A guide for reporters showing how they can get the most out of Beyond Intractability. Includes a list of experts available for interviews.

Nobel Peace Prize Winners

International Labour Organization (ILO)
1969 Nobel Peace Laureate

Beyond Intractability Version IV
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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
Phone: (303) 492-1635; Fax: (303) 492-2154; Contact