Newsletter Archive

12 Bridging and Civic Health Organizations reflect on the implications of Charlie Kirk's murder, and how we can turn America's increasing political violence and polarization around.

Updating our good reading lists.

Jonathan Stray explains why we still need to build bridges to "the other side," even if we think they are doing terrible things. It is the only way for those who want to protect democracy to "win" that fight.

If we want to get out of the trouble we are in as a society, we need to realize that the "enemy" is not "the others." It is the destructive way in which we deal with "the others."

Our weekly compilation of reader suggested and highlighted links, along with colleague and news and opinion reading. Lots here to think about!

David Eisner points out astonishing similarities between our civic angst now and in the early 1900s, pointing out that we turned things around then and can do so again. Indeed, many people and organizations are already working on this effort.

A conflict map of democratic erosion shows how complex this problem is, and why a simple, us-versus-them definition of the problem, along with an attempt to overpower "them," cannot work to solve it.

Weekly collection of important and interesting readings from our colleagues and journalists writing on topics relating to polarization, democracy, and intractable conflicts.

An exploration of the critical role that civil society needs to play in the defending US democracy and thoughts about how civil society might overcome the challenges that are making it difficult for it to play that role.

Here we announce the release of the much updated Beyond Intractability website with the addition of an extensive Constructive Conflict Guide focused on hyper-polarization and ways to strengthen and improve democracy. See the details here.

Catching up after two weeks off -- we have a lot of readings to share!

Continuing our review of the distinction between core conflict factors and conflict overlays, this post examines common overlay factors that make conflicts even more difficult to resolve--and (briefly) what to do about them.

A review of the distinction the Burgesses make between core conflict factors and conflict overlays. This is the first of a two-part series; this one on the core factors; the second one will be on the overlay factors that make conflicts even more difficult to resolve.

Catching up on a lot of interesting readings and podcasts.

Jacob Bornstein gives a master class on how to assemble and facilitate a collaborative process over very contentious issues -- and easier ones.

A tribute to Lou Kriesberg --a leading light in the peace and conflict resolution fields, along with his latest thoughts on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.

A lot of interesting and important reading for this week!

Magical production is the tendency to unconsciously think that goods and services magically appear in our stores and that the only important question is how to distribute them. A road trip through flyover country shows how false--and damaging--this image is.

Frank Dukes talks about how he balances his three roles of conflict resolution practitioner, teacher/trainer, and human rights advocate in this wide-ranging interview.

Another set of interesting readings.

Comments and further thoughts about the Fourth of July from readers and Guy and Heidi

Our weekly set of interesting readings with a new "Highlighted Links" section.

July 4, 2025 is the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Declaration of Independence. Is this an event to be celebrated or mourned? Or celebrated and used as a platform to revitalize and improve our democracy? We choose the latter!

Interesting readings from our colleagues and journalists of note.

Heidi Burgess talks with Richard Harwood, President and Founder of the Harwood Institute about how community members can work together to overcome even their most difficult problems.

Our discussion with Ashok about peacebuilding after USAID and USIP generated three very different comments. We share them all and respond here.

More interesting and important articles to share.

Does peacebuilding always work? Are there some instances in which it should not be pursued? The Burgesses and three readers weigh in.

A report on the webinar Guy and Heidi Burgess did with the Environmental and Public Policy Section of the Association for Conflict Resolution, focusing on how environmental and public policy mediators might be able to help strengthen U.S. democracy.

A note about the Boulder terror attack, followed by our weekly set of readings.

The peacebuilding field has been seriously shaken by the closure of USAID and USIP. What does this (and other real-world pressures) mean for the field? A conversation with three people who have been thinking about these challenges for a long time.

Reflections on the vital role played by nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and the fraught relationship between those organizations and governmental sources of support.

Another set of interesting readings

A retrospective look at the long and hopeful history of the conflict resolution and peacebuilding fields -- a history punctuated by a long series of societal crises and, ultimately, constructive responses to those crises.

More news, opinion, and colleague's readings and videos

A report on Better Together America's first Hub Accelerator Workshop -- an inspiring get together of people from around the United States who are working in a wide variety of ways to strengthen civic engagement in their local communities.

Insightful readings for this week.

Two more interesting exercises to think about ways of constructively approaching intractable conflicts and the role of intervenors in those conflicts.

An introduction to a set of exercises that people can do alone or in groups to think through difficult conflict situations and find ways of overcoming obstacles to moving forward more constructively.

This weeks readings from colleagues and journalists of note.

What does "thinking politically" mean in terms of nonviolent action. It doesn't mean thinking along party lines. Rather, it means thinking strategically about audiences, desired outcomes and best strategies to meet those outcomes.

Another interesting set of readings con hyper-polarization and related topics.

David Eisner observes that bridgers serve as a critical portal for ideas on each side to be heard, understood and considered by the other when they are too angry to listen to the other on their own. Are bridgers the only people who can do that?

Are we facing a "constitutional" or "rule-of-law" crisis? What can/should the peacebuilding community do in such circumstances? This is what we call "the peacebuilder's dilemma."

Weekly readings and viewings of interest.

A reflection on the relationship between love and power and what makes nonviolent protests effective.

David Eisner asks whether the fires we talked about in our "Fiddling While Rome Burns" series are controlled burns or forest fires. The Burgesses respond "out of control forest fires" -- and explain why.

Our weekly readings for your enjoyment! (Or blood pressure increase).

We finish answering Ashok Panikkar by talking about other drivers of hyper-polarization: globalization and technology driven job loss, identity politics, cable news and social media, and distrust of institutions. We also address Ashok's notion of theory of continuity and share what we think it will take to "save" liberal democracy in the U.S.

We reflect on the implications and impact of the closing of FMCS, USIP, and probably CRS, what might be done about that, and then turn to answering Ashok Panikkar's question about whether hyper-polarization is "logical and rational," given the current state of the world.

The second half of Guy and Heidi Burgess's conversation with Lamar Roth and Tom Klaus on their podcast "Getting to Third Space." Here we talk more about what is driving American polarization, why it is a problem, and what can be done to address it.

Lots of readings about the Trump administration and responses to it -- plus other readings and videos of note.

The Burgesses respond to Bernie Mayer's comments on "Are We Fiddling While Rome Burns," arguing that bridging and advocacy are both needed for change, along with other elements in David Eisner's "renewing democracy ecosystem."

A discussion with David Eisner and Bernie Mayer of how bridging efforts relate to other efforts to strengthen American democracy in what David refers to as the "renew-democracy ecosystem."

Our weekly collection of readings, not surprisingly, heavily focused on Trump's moves and responses to those moves.

In the United States, hyper-polarization has escalated to the point where President Trump is trying to destroy pretty much everything Democrats care about. The question is how can the Democrats defend themselves while also working to defuse the hyper-polarization that made Trump's Presidency possible.

A reflection on why it still makes sense to try to find a middle ground between the far left and the far right, even as the far right seems to be profoundly threatening U.S. democracy.

Our selected readings from colleagues journalists writing on peace, conflict, and democracy topics.

Taking Kriesberg's essay as a starting point, this newsletter explores, from left-leaning and centrist perspectives, a range of hopeful responses that are emerging to the most extreme actions of the still young Trump presidency.

Interpersonal communication is not the only way to reduce political divides; other much more "scalable" approaches work in addition to, not instead of, one-on-one communication to reduce hyper-polarization.

Our weekly collection of interesting and important readings.

Complex adaptive systems cannot be fixed using typical engineering problem solving. Rather they need to be approached using a "medical model," which is designed to deal with systems we don't entirely understand.

Rosa Zubizarreta-Ada explores solutions to the "Achilles Heel of democracy," in which free speech allows illiberal speech, which then threatens the very democracy that allows it.

Tom Klaus and Lamar Roth talked with Guy and Heidi Burgess about Beyond Intractability, hyper-polarization, constructive conflict, and ways we are going to get out of the "mess" we are in.

More important readings from our colleagues and journalists of note.

Daniel Stid's three key "take-aways" from a conference on Pluralism in Action: we have a choice between pluralism and war; political resistance and civic renewal are different tasks, and pluralism is not a field. See why!

We are good at understanding and responding to sharp feedback, but continue to have serious trouble seeing and responding to fuzzy feedback. These difficulties do much to explain why society is in such serious trouble.

Our weekly set of readings renamed to clarify the contents, trying to help our readers understand the challenges we face.

A repeat of a two-year old post, explaining "thinking and acting systemically" by using the metaphor of Google Maps and "Adopt a Highway" programs -- both systemic ways of managing vast amounts of traffic on the U.S. highway system.

The civic renewal we need is not primarily political or governmental, but rather, cultural. While Federal governance is still in a shambles, cultural change at the local and state levels promises a healthier democracy.

Two weeks' worth of readings from colleagues and journalists about hyper-polarization, intractable conflict and more.

Comments on our U.S. democracy post, Ashok Panikkar's question about contemporary education, and uplifting essay from Anne Leslie, and a new case study on Burundi from Emmy Irobi.

Harry Boyte explained how the ideas of the U.S. Civil Rights Movement from the 1950s and 1960s can be adapted by anyone wanting to make fundamental change in their communities and their societies.

This is the second of a two compilations of links collected over the holiday break.

The second of two collections of link assembled over the holidays.

The first of two links sets to get caught up from the holiday break.

Guy and Heidi Burgess talked with Rep. Derek Kilmer on how to break down polarization in Congress and in society in order to actually solve problems collaboratively. There is much to learn and utilize here!

Ashok Panikkar, Heidi and Guy Burgess (with facilitation from Merrick Hoben) talked about why peacebuilding is failing in much of the world, and how the use of critical thinking explains why and what might be done to be more successful.

A last set of readings for 2024.

Lou Kriesberg explores "what next" for progressives in the United States following Trump's election, arguing that two responses are necessary: resistance, and strengthening democracy.

U.S. polarization and political dysfunction is only going to worsen until the two parties realize that the problem isn't "the other," but rather the way we (don't) tolerate, compromise and or work collaboratively with with "the other."

Road rage is much like ideological rage. We don't accept the former; why do we accept the latter?

Reading and videos from colleagues and journalists on peace, conflict, and governance.

Our weekly compilation of interesting and important readings from other sources.

A description of the House Administration's Subcommittee on Modernization, and its predecessor, the House Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress, and a plea for everyone to lobby for its continuation in the incoming Congress.

Kristin Hansen of the Civic Health Project reflects on where we need to move to strengthen our civic health after the election; Richard Harwood and the Burgesses concur and add a few more thoughts about how to create a new "civic path."

Our weekly set of "reader-suggested" links, colleague activities and news and opinions from journalists and others outside the conflict and peace field.

Daniel Stid: The Meaning of Democracy in Nine Words

Excerpts from an email exchange between Heidi Burgess and one of her former students, who is now a peacebuilder in an Israeli/Palestinian peacebuilding organization, while also serving in the IDF reserves.

Thoughts on the U.S. election from our readers, or colleagues, and journalists, among other interesting reads.

Emma Addams and Jennifer Thomas talk about the founding, the principles, and the "magic sauce" that has made the Mormon Women for Ethical Government so successful.

A guest post from a MSc student at Ulster University in Northern Ireland, charting a way forward in the United States after the election -- suggesting three critical steps the U.S. might take to avoid "destroying the country we want our children to inherit."

Reader-suggested links, along with Guy Burgess's suggested links to colleague activities and news and opinion stories from the last few weeks.

This final installment of the Burgess's Toda Policy Brief on Massively Parallel Democracy Building describes 53 different roles which all need to be filled simultaneously for democracy strengthening efforts to succeed. And everyone fits somewhere!

This 4th (of 5) installments of the Burgess's Toda Policy Brief on Massively Parallel Democracy Building lays out seven essential goals, all of which contribute to developing a "power-with democracy" to replace "power-over" approaches.

Recommended readings and videos from our readers, plus Guy Burgess's suggestions of useful readings for this week.

The resilience of American democracy is based on three factors: an abundant array of tools for resisting those who threaten democratic institutions, a willingness to use those tools, and the creativity needed to develop new responses to new challenges.

Comments from two readers about the Burgess's comparison of responses to October 7 and 9-11, one from an American, the other from an Israeli peacebuilder who also serves as an active reservist in the IDF.

More recommended readings and videos for this week.

In this 2nd (of 5) installments of the Burgess's Toda Policy Brief on Massively Parallel Democracy Building, we look at some of the threats facing democracy in the United States, and where they could lead if they aren't addressed soon.

Our weekly collection of links.

A comparison of the differing reactions to the terrorism of September 11 and October 7 plus an exchange of views on the role that dehumanization is playing in the ongoing Middle East wars.

Communication between Congressmembers and their constituents is democracy’s mission critical data. Combined with other kinds of expertise, this data could serve as the digital foundation of a modern representative system.

The first of a five part series on massively parallel democracy building. This installment briefly introduces the core argument about what the threats to democracy are, and what is needed to meet them.

Caleb Christen and Vinay Orekondy talk about the democracy and civic hubs they are helping form around the country to bring "democracy back to the people" where it can actually work.

Our weekly set of recommended readings from colleagues and news and opinion writers.

The number of people supporting political violence is not nearly the 30% that has been often reported, but it is still much higher than it should be. We all need to try to calm down our rhetoric so things don't get out of hand.

Weekly readings and videos of interests.

Looking back on the 5-year old Constructive Conflict Initiative, a lot has happened to bring it to fruition. But a lot of challenges remain.

Power takes three forms that can be mixed and matched: coercion, exchange, and integration. The "recipe" for the optimal "power strategy mix" changes depending on whom you are trying to influence.

We've been on vacation, so, to cover what we've missed, this is a long set of news, opinion, colleague, and recommended readings from our followers.

Constructive confrontation calls for resolving most disputes through interest-based negotiation; only if that fails should one try a contest of rights, reserving nonviolent power contests as a very last resort.

Readings on Israel, the U.S. political scene, and other intractable conflicts of note.

A reprise of an old newsletter on constructive ways of engaging in conflict that is less likely to create backlash and more likely to achieve one's goals than typical adversarial approaches are likely to do.

The Burgesses talked with David Eisner about what he thinks the threats to democracy are, and how (and when) we might respond to them. We agreed, citizen involvement in governance is key.

More in our regular set of links from readers, about colleague's activities, and from outside news and opinion sources.

The Burgesses update their 2-year old discussion of impartiality, adding to it Martin Carcasson's notion of "principled impartiality" which adds in quality information and "small-d" democracy.

In part 2 of this 2-part series, we apply Martin Carcasson's notion of "principled impartiality" to the Israel/Gaza/Hezbollah/Iran war, and to the political conflict in the United States.

Reader suggested links, and the Burgesses selections of articles about colleague's activities and other news and opinion articles of interest.

Short pieces about new books, and new ideas about the challenges we currently face and ways beyond them from John Paul Lederach, Lou Kriesberg, Kenneth Boulding, Deborah Laufer, and Guy and Heidi Burgess.

Susan Carpenter has been working in the field of collaborative problem solving for over 40 years. She talked about the changes she's seen over those years, and the time-tested approaches she has come to rely on for success.

Our weekly collection of links from colleagues and outside news/opinion sources on the many predicaments we are now facing around the world. It's pretty daunting!

Caleb Christen and Walt Roberts talk about the Inter-Movement Impact Project -- another example of massively parallel problem solving and democracy building "in the real world."

Massively parallel social movements can strengthen democracy or tear it apart, and the dividers are currently much more visible (and successful) than the uniters. With effort, though, that can change!

Reader-suggested links, colleague activities, and news and opinion articles that caught our attention this week.

In an hour-long interview, Martin talks about the "wicked problem mindset" as a way to diminish polarization, and encourage collaboration, creativity, and healthy democracy, at least at the local level.

Weekly suggested readings and viewings.

As we think about how to heal US democracy following the upcoming, and undoubtedly divisive election, we propose asking ourselves whether we are willing to treat the other side as we would like to be treated.

Hope, vision, and place-based civic heath are key elements to our ability to navigate the turbulent times that have left so many of us in fear and despair.

Our regular reader-suggested links, colleague activities, news and opinion links and a new "highlighted links" for people who want some really good reads quickly.

To address the polycrisis, it is necessary to "focus on part of the polycrisis but with an awareness of the whole." Among Gerzon and Sebree's several insightful suggestions: forget optimism and pessimism, focusing instead on "possibility."

Rosa Zubizarreta's thoughts about better ways to talk across differences without destroying relationships, and also how we can stop a repeat of World War II before it is too late.

Gerzon and Sebree explain what the "polycrisis" is, and ten of the individual crises that interact to create it. In part 2, they will explain what can be done to constructively address this unprecedented challenge to human well being, even survival.

Reader suggested links, colleague activities, and our renamed "News and Opinion Section" that shared insightful views of the issues of the day from outside the conflict resolution & peacebuilding fields.

Can the constitution brings us back together, as it was designed to do, or will it push us further apart? Should we, in the United States, be proud or ashamed this Independence Day -- and how can we build pride on the ashes of shame?

Sharing several new ideas that have come to us recently on controlling affective polarization and threats to democracy from the family level on up.

More useful and interesting reading from colleagues and others in allied fields.

Part 2 of 2 newsletters looking at an old, but eerily accurate, description of political events in the United States over the last ten-twenty years, explaining why we are well on our way to a destroyed democracy and what we can do about it.

Part 1 of 2 newsletters looking at an old, but eerily accurate, way of looking at the chain of political events that have done so much to undermine democratic societies in recent decades.

More links to interesting things we -- and our readers -- are reading.

How should we deal with summer family visits when some of our relatives are "on the other side?" Like so many other things, "it depends."

Peter Coleman suggests 8 steps that Columbia could follow to better understand what caused the chaos of last year, and how such conflicts can be conducted more constructively in the future.

Interesting readings from readers, colleagues, and journalists we are following.

A reflection of the meaning of Memorial Day to veterans and their loved ones, and to peacebuilders, and some thoughts on how the Gaza war might be ended.

The last in a four-part series of MPP roles looking at those who help balance power so that everyone in society is treated fairly, and those who try to defend democracy from those who would destroy it.

Another in our weekly set of links from readers, our colleagues, and others with important ideas for our field.

Part 3 of a 4 part series examining the many roles played by participants in Massively Parallel Peace and Democracy Building. This newsletter focuses on those who help us analyze complex problems and develop collaborative solutions.

Columbia Professor Peter Coleman, an expert on intractable conflict, reflects on the intractable conflict occurring on his own campus, suggesting "ways out" that would be better for everyone.

New suggested readings from colleagues and the Burgesses.

"Separate the people from the problem" might be the most often violated fundamental conflict resolution principle, even by people who know better. And it is hurting us.

More recommended readings from the Burgesses and readers.

Returning hate with hate hurts everyone. Much better to return hate with inquiry and respect (even if it isn't deserved), and try to defuse the anger before it explodes.

An update on what life in Afghanistan is like, now that the Taliban have returned and US efforts to transform the country have failed (and a reminder of how bad things can get).

Another of our weekly suggested links from readers and the Burgesses.

The American electorate includes True Believers, Pro-Democracy Transpartisans, and the Disillusioned, Disengaged, and Politically Homeless. We need to grow the second group, while shrinking the other two if we want American democracy to survive.

Why are the United States' elections so close and so bitterly fought? Guy Burgess argues our knife-edge elections are caused by scapegoating, hatemongering, and our drive to get as much as we can for ourselves, by taking it away from the other side.

Reader-suggested links, along with the Burgess's compilation of colleague activities and outside readings of interest.

The first of two posts explaining the actor roles needed for a massively parallel peacebuilding/democracy building effort to work, which combined with an earlier post on strategy roles, makes up the current MPP role list.

Lorelei Kelly describes the work of the bipartisan Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress which passed 202 recommendations, many unanimously. Over 1/2 have been implemented and most others are in progress.

A rename of our regular "colleague and context links" to highlight how these readings and the activities they describe all fit within our "massively parallel" peace and democracy building framework--or show why it is needed.

People engaged in massively parallel peace and democracy building play at least 50 different roles. In Part 1 of this three part series, we explore the roles played by the "strategizers," or "big thinkers" who help us understand the both nature of the problem and possible responses.

Sometimes it is better to have an argument, rather than stew in silence, and have it with the mindset of wanting to learn more about the other person's truth instead of wanting to 'win'?

Dialogue is great for the few participants, but it simply cannot be scaled up enough to change societal attitudes and behaviors. James Coan and Heidi Burgess discuss alternative ways to scale depolarization work.

Submissions from readers, activities and publications from colleagues, and interesting articles from allied fields about conflict, peace, and democracy.

An exploration of Quincy Wright's image of total war, reasons why it is so much more dangerous than lesser armed conflicts, and mechanisms through which it could quickly spread around the world.

Our usual Sunday link suggestions from readers, together with our compilation of interesting colleague activities, plus news and opinion articles of interest to the conflict field.

Bari Weiss (The Free Press) and Franklin Foer (The Atlantic) reflect on the meaning of the war in Gaza and world response to it, to prospects for the survival of liberal democracy worldwide. The two, they agree, are linked.

A summary of a conversation Bill Froehlich about the work of the Divided Community Project which works to help deeply divided communities come together to prevent, and respond to civic strife.

More readings and videos suggested by readers, along with our weekly pick of colleague activities and important writing from outside our field.

Guy Burgess and Heidi Burgess talked with Ashok Panikkar in a "Live Video Conversation" on February 11, 2024 about peace, peacebuilding, critical thinking, current political events, and how these all fit together.

Our regular weekly suggested readings and watchings.

One positive, optimistic look at what could happen in Israel/Palestine, and others looking at some of the negative forces that are working against such an integrative outcome.

Polarization is destroying our relationships with friends and family. Peter Coleman has a way to fix that -- and possibly fix our society as well.

The conflict resolution professionals' time has come. We need to step up to the plate!

You cannot provide facts, logic, or reasoning when it comes to “sacred values.” So what should one do when one group's "sacred value" calls for the total destruction of another group?

Articles submitted by readers and our choices for interesting and important reading from within the conflict and peacebuilding field and beyond.

Justice has many different meanings. If social justice is to be attained, we need to sit down together an negotiate which of the many meanings of justice we want to pursue--and how.

Links from readers about Israel, Heidi's links from colleagues, and Guy's links from journalists and others in allied fields--all interesting and important reading in our view.

More reader comments and Ashok Panikkar's comments on those comments about the role of peacebuilding, force, and other approaches to the world's current most violent conflicts.

There are no judicial or military solutions to the wars being fought around the world, or on our campuses. Our only choice is to learn to live together by settling, transforming, or transcending our conflicts.

Links from readers and Guy exploring the themes of hyper-polarization, Israel, and related topics from within and beyond the peacebuilding field.

A compilation of readers' thoughts on Israel and identity conflicts in general. We agree--they are intractable--but greatly in need of inspiration and new thinking!

When you recognize uncertainty, you recognize that you may be able to influence the outcomes – you alone or you in concert with a few dozen or several million others.

Further exploration of the larger, "larger context" of the Israel/ Hamas war with the focus on global public opinion and the perverse incentives that it is creating.

In order to successfully navigate the complexities of the Israel/Hamas war, we need to understand the war's context in ways that are much more expansive than the left's narrow focus on Palestinian grievances.

Reader contributed and Guy's suggestions of interesting reads for the week relating to peacebuilding and hyper-polarization.

A look at the now hard-to-imagine challenges faced by the Civil Rights Movement, Dr. King, and the 1963 March on Washington; how they were able to overcome them; and what they can teach us today.

A conflict is "ripe for resolution" when the parties are in a mutually-hurting stalemate, and they can see a "way out." Though Israeli/Palestinian conflict seems, to those on the outside, to be in such a stalemate, the way out seems much less apparent.

Two more readers contribute thoughts about the Israel/Gaza war and ways of envisioning a future we would all want to live in.

Readings on Israel/Hamas war recommended by readers, more colleague activities articles and news, and writing from people in allied fields.

To understand why the peacebuilding field has failed to live up to its lofty ambitions, we have to unpack the world we inhabit today. Peacebuilding is not possible in many societies, and peacebuilders need to understand where their processes can work and where they cannot.

A compendium of ideas from conflict strategists about the nature of the US hyper-polarization problem and ways to address that.

An exercise to help us all appreciate our inner and social experiences of peace, wholeness, and connection, as defined by many cultures around the world.

The US 2024 presidential election is shaping up to be extremely challenging to U.S. democracy, but there are things that can be done to make sure it is both trustworthy and trusted.

More thoughtful articles from colleagues, the media, and writers in allied fields.

The Burgesses answer Jack William's questions about the best strategy now to obtain peace and security in Israel and Gaza, whether Israel is attacking civilians on purpose, and what can be done over the longer term to attain peace and security in the region.

An exchange between the Burgesses and Jack Williams examining how the Burgesses have come to make the several controversial assertions with respect to the Israel and Hamas war.

How much could we change if we could just accept the fact that "America belongs to all who live here" and we set about the task, as South Africans did, to figure out how we could make that work for everyone?

Jay Rothman shared his 2013 article in which "intersectionality" is seen as aiding intergroup cooperation, not harming it.

Reports from colleagues and others in allied fields about US democracy and related topics.

Colin Rule says that intersectionality means that all oppressed people should support each other in their mutual efforts to realize their basic human rights to live in peace and have self determination, and hence is good.

Both Israelis and Palestinians deserve safety, justice, and dignity. They will only find these basic human rights when they can give them to each other.

A summary of the Burgess's latest thinking about massively parallel peacebuilding and democracy building explaining how it is already taking place on a large scale.

More important ideas from our colleagues and writers in allied fields.

More articles from our friends, colleagues and others about hyper-polarization as well as the Israel/Hamas war.

A consideration of the factors that are making the Israel/Hamas war so exceptionally difficult even to talk about (civilly at least) let alone solve.

Reflecting on messages from readers about our Israel/Hamas writing and why we see this as differently as we do from many of our colleagues.

New comments from Israeli peacebuilder Julia Chaitin and U.S. psychotherapist Madeline Taylor about the Israel/Hamas war.

A review of what we've focused on and what we've learned since starting this newsletter 20 months ago, and a discussion of where we plan to go in the months ahead.

Colleague and context articles on U.S. hyperpolarization, Israel/Hamas, and other conflicts from around the world.

A compilation of the first comments we have received about our Israel/Hamas war discussion posts. There is much to think snd debate about here!

Risk and uncertainty are scary, and are often avoided by cognitive traps which pretend we have certainty when we don't. Better to remain flexible, so we can respond effectively as the situation clarifies.

A mixture of U.S. and Israel colleague and context posts for this week.

Chilling testimony from an Israeli peace activist living near the Gaza/Israeli border, and her thoughts about ways forward.

Polarization is afflicting both leaders and followers, and the feedback between the two makes the problem worse. Key to fighting that is reinvigorating the value of political pluralism and openness to divergent views of problems and solutions, starting first at the local and state levels.

A special edition of our colleague and context posts, all focused on the Israel/Palestinian war of 2023.

From a conflict resolution and peacebuilding perspective, reflections on Hamas' horrific attack on Israel and the role that our field has played and could play in shaping this tragedy.

Essential Partners has figured out both how to scale dialogue at least to the community level, if not beyond, and to make the relationship improvements dialogue engenders sustainable over the long term.

More interesting links from our colleagues and people allied with and of interest to the conflict and peacebuilding fields.

We need to distinguish between good-faith and bad-faith actors, and also between intentional and reluctant bad-faith actors, dealing with each in a different way.

More interesting and important articles from our colleagues and others in allied fields.

Citizens' assemblies are an ancient form of governance, used by the Athenians in the 5th Century B.C., whose time has come again. Daniel Stid reports on their increasing use and benefits around the world, including in the U.S.

Sorting out "real facts" from "fake facts" gets more difficult all the time. But there are ways to do it. And it matters. Because facts can "bite you," even if you don't believe they are true.

This second half of our update on BI's Constructive Conflict Initiative looks at additional steps that we could take to strengthen our field's ability to promote more constructive approaches to conflict and build healthier democracies.

More insightful articles from colleagues and journalists from around the world.

Colleagues ask power-with and power-over whom, for what purpose, and when? All good questions--and starts of answers.

Dialogue has no fixed goal or predetermined agenda. The emphasis is not on resolving disputes, but rather on improving the way in which people with significant differences relate to each other. 

More interesting reading from colleagues and others in allied fields on democracy, polarization, and related issues.

"Pro-democracy" efforts have little consensus on what democracy is, or how it should be "saved." Our failure to reconcile these competing views is a big part of the reason why democracy is in so much trouble.

In this interview, Jay Rothman continues to reflect on strategies for scaling up small group processes in ways that enable whole communities to develop "both-and" solutions the common problems.

More interesting and important ideas from our conflict resolution/peacebuilding colleagues and others in allied fields.

How loneliness and isolation are contributing to our political malaise--and four ideas for changing that.

Polarization is hurting both sides, and both sides should be concerned about reducing it if they want to achieve any of the high-priority goals.

Another set of links to interesting articles from our colleagues in conflict resolution, journalism, and allied fields.

Empathic (active) listening and I-message are two very powerful communication strategies that work at the societal as well as interpersonal levels.

Most of us have unrealistic images of "the other side." If we talk with, and most importantly really listen to, some of those people, we will usually find out they are not nearly as different from us as we think.

More of our weekly links to informative and provocative readings from colleagues and others in allied fields.

More of our weekly links to informative and provocative readings from colleagues and others in allied fields.

A reflection on the role and choices we all make that will influence not only ourselves, but our society and planet as well.

Our weekly suggested readings from colleagues within and outside of the conflict resolution field relating to polarization, democracy and other issues of importance.

Our weekly suggested readings from colleagues within and outside of the conflict resolution field relating to polarization, democracy and other issues of importance.

A look at the forces, including our own cognitive preferences, that produce a biased information environment and thoughts about what to do about it.

Our regular colleague and context posts showing what are people are doing and thinking about intractable conflicts and democracy.

Highly polarized conflicts are typically systems problems, and they need system-based solutions to be successfully addressed. Here's an example where that was done very well.

Nonviolence can be a profound resource for addressing injustice, repairing torn relationships, and creating healthy civic life. And it is something we all can do, everyday.

Our normal weekly links to interesting reading about democracy in the U.S. and around the world.

New civil rights mediator interviews provide a fascinating then-and-now comparison with earlier interviews conducted in 1999-2001. So much has changed--AND--so much has stayed the same!

Democracy only works if people understand how to work through disagreements constructively. "Disagreement Fitness" is a way to strengthen such skills.

Our normal weekly links to interesting reading about democracy in the U.S. and around the world.

Dialogue can change attitudes, but those changes tend to be fleeting unless a great deal of thought and care goes into both the process and the aftermath. Designing for scale up is key.

Reader-suggested articles along with Guy and Heidi's regular suggestions of colleague and context articles of interest for this week.

If democracy scholars and democracy actors began to know more about the activities of the other, both would see a benefit in terms of stronger pro-democracy outcomes.

There's no one answer to "saving democracy." We need to pursue many different things all at the same time.

A description of a longer "practitioner reflection" about trauma-informed peacebuilding training in Ukraine, and how that reflects on peacebuilding challenges in less challenged places as well.

More colleague and context posts, along with three reader-suggested references.

Those seeking to improve democracy should hold themselves accountable for advancing both peace and justice through collaborative action to meet common goals.

What role should philanthropy play in the effort to fix democracy? Can they help? How? Or should they bow out, acknowledging that they are making the problem worse?

This week's links to news articles and organizations that are, in various ways, working to help us understand and more constructively handle intractable conflict.

The second part of our short, readable summary (with lots of links) to what we collectively know about strategies for controlling destructive escalation.

Once we understand the many ways in which escalation can trap us, we can avoid those traps. If we discover that we have already fallen into a trap, we can work to climb out--here are 5 ways to do that.

Civity is all about forming relationships across difference. It's the "secret sauce" of successful communities and organizations. And better yet, everyone can do it!

More interesting reading from our colleagues within and outside the conflict resolution/peacebuilding field.

One of the most important ways  in which we can all act to strengthen our democracy is to speak out when others are acting in ways that threaten it.

Democracy--and threats to it--are a complex adaptive system. We need complex, adaptive responses as well The TRUST Network is one.

Weekly set of important and interesting readings and videos.

More news and activities from our peacebuilding colleagues and interesting readings from allied fields, particularly journalism.

Driven by many interacting feedback loops, escalation can get out of control quickly--leading to violence or even worse.

A few of the many important things Community Relations Service Paul Monteiro shared about the way CRS operates, what makes it successful, and most importantly, how it needs help from locals.

Our weekly selection of interesting organizations and projects in the conflict/peacebuilding field, and articles of interest from outside our field.

Conflict mapping is a tool to help understand what, besides "the other guys" are driving a conflict or social problem, and hence what might be done to fix it.

Some of our biggest errors are that we generally assume that we correctly understand the world and that being wrong is bad. Rather, we often are wrong--and that is good!

Interesting readings for this week.

Colleague activities to strengthen democracy, and outside the field articles on democracy, polarization, and related issues.

Conversation with D.G. Mawn about the National Association for Community Mediation and the work of the hundreds of member centers which have been helping resolve community conflicts for decades.

Our weekly set of posts on threats to democracy and how to respond to them effectively.

Colleague activities to strengthen democracy, and outside the field articles on democracy, polarization, and related issues.

More stories about our colleague's efforts to defuse polarization and strengthen democracy, along with similar stories from outside the conflict/peacebuilding field.

Can ChatGPT "listen to" and understand the other side better than we can? And if so, is that useful for de-polarization?

A summary of ideas generated by the joint BI/IGN discussion on ways to strengthen democracy using negotiation, conflict resolution, and related processes.

Our readers share their thoughts: how progressive attitudes are deeply hurting progressives themselves, and how polarization is damaging US credibility abroad. Plus normal colleague and context posts.

We need to learn more about the other side--not about how bad they are, but why they believe what they believe, why they respond to us the way they do, and why they advocate for the things we think are so awful. 

Who has the right to speak how and when? The Stanford Law School controversy has lessons for all of us.

Ideas and announcements from several of our colleagues, as well as observations from people in allied fields about stresses to our democracy, and how to address them effectively.

Ideas and announcements from several of our colleagues, as well as observations from people in allied fields about stresses to our democracy, and how to address them effectively.

Power is not just force. It is the ability to get things done. And that usually is maximized by using integrative and exchange power to encourage collaboration whenever possible, with force used little if at all.

To better understand both others and even ourselves, we must dig deeper into the words and terms we use to ensure we are conveying precisely what we want to convey and nothing more.

Notable organizations working to strengthen democracy and reduce hyper-polarization, along with important readings on those topics from within and outside the conflict/peacebuilding field.

The narratives we engage and deploy shape our world. In the face of rising authoritarianism, what stories and tactics drive collaboration within and between movements?

Israel presents a dilemma for conflict resolvers: should one seek dialogue and compromise, or should one advocate and work for total victory without compromise because one side is so extreme?

US democracy is failing. Each moment deepens the polarization that makes its problems harder to fix. As Americans, we must start now, at scale, strategically, with a broad, cross-party coalition to save our democracy.

Reader-suggested links, colleague activities to strengthen democracy, and outside the field articles on democracy, polarization, and related issues.

Healthy conflict resolution systems rely primary on interest-based negotiations, using rights and power contests much less frequently. US democracy currently does the opposite.

Are liberal, democratic capitalist states operating under the rule of law capable of meeting the economic, welfare, and identity needs of citizens in the 21st century? If not, what can?

Amid all the bad news, a lot of positive things are happening to strengthen democracy. Take a look at some of them, and the storm clouds still growing.

We are good at understanding and responding to sharp feedback, but not nearly as good seeing and responding to fuzzy feedback, which is the source of many serious mistakes.

Ideas from five of our colleagues, as well as observations from people in allied fields about stresses to our democracy, and how to address them effectively.

ABCs of dialogue, problem trees and problem tree mapping are very simple, yet very useful tools for helping disputants better understand their conflict and decide how to approach it constructively.

Focusing on blame doesn't solve problems, it just makes them more intractable. Focusing on contribution instead encourages collaborative problem solving that stands a much better chance of success.

More links to news articles and organizations that are, in various ways, working to help us understand and more constructively handle intractable conflict.

Julia Roig talks about her efforts to build a social movement to support democracy in the U.S. Such a movement needs to both block and build: block bad actors, and build a new pluralistic society that works.

All complex systems are made up of multiple interlocking negative and positive feedback loops that can lead to good or bad stability or good or bad change. Understanding these loops is essential for good outcomes.

Links to articles suggested by participants in BI's hyper-polarization discussion by plus more links to thought-provoking articles and things that our colleagues are doing.

Working for peace can be a primary job. Figure out your passions, your talents, talk with people, and together develop a path to pursue your dreams and make the world a better place at the same time!

Intractable conflicts are never simple us-versus-them. By sorting out the core and overlaying factors, disputants can come to a much clearer understanding of what needs to be done to transform their conflicts.

In addition to more links to interesting projects that our democracy, conflict, and peace colleagues are doing, recommended articles on social change, political change, future challenges, and objectivity (or not) of the media.

The Trust Network is an "if it exists, it must be possible" example of massively parallel peacebuilding. We are writing about it. They are doing it!

Pauli asserts that neutrality is an "unsatisfying value" for both journalists and mediators in our current conflicted times, and might be better replaced with a fundamental reliance on human dignity of every person.

In addition to more links to interesting projects that our democracy, conflict, and peace colleagues are doing, recommended articles on tech, education, and changing demographics.

Constructive confrontation applies conflict resolution theory and practice to advocacy efforts in an effort to limit pushback and maximize attainment of ones interests and needs.

In addition to more links to interesting projects that our democracy, conflict, and peace colleagues are doing, recommended articles on political moderates, the lifetime insights of prominent social activists, ways of limiting done violence, and other topics.

Bad-faith actors can and do use a massively parallel strategy to drive us apart. But that doesn't mean that the strategy is bad -- it means that it is effective. Good-faith actors need to learn how to use these techniques to bring us together.

A look at what we know about reducing the mutual hostility (associated with escalation and hyper-polarization dynamics) that contributes so much to mass shootings, gun deaths, and interpersonal and political violence.

How do we distinguish when taking a stand is what’s absolutely called for – because we’ve reached the tipping point of uncivil politics/undemocratic behaviors? But perhaps we need to find a better way of doing it.

Advocacy plays a key role in Massively Parallel Peacebuilding.  But, this role can either be supportive and helpful, or destructive, depending on how it is done. 

Now is our time to re-rebuild our democracy, and it will take all of us, working on multi-faceted solutions at the local, state, and national levels.

Links to things that our colleagues are doing at places like Search for Common Ground, Renew America, the National Association of Nonpartisan Reformers, as well as fifteen fascinating articles that help us understand the complexity of society-wide intractable conflict.

Reader-contributed links plus Guy's suggestions of interesting and important readings for this week.

If we were to map all the challenges Google-maps style, and then each person or organization were to adopt one or two of the challenges that were not widely adopted by others, that could have a much bigger impact. 

Massive social change IS possible if people decide they want to work at it! 

Curiosity will get you SO FAR. …Never underestimate the power of being curious and likeable!  It will get you so far in life! And it’s massively, massively underestimated.

A discussion of ends and means, incentives, interventions, scale, challenges, successes, visions--Kristen's vision is clear and exceptionally wide ranging at the same time. (Summary of full interview)

Defusing the hyper-polarization spiral is an extremely large and complex task. This newsletter introduces a promising strategy for working at this level.

A comparison of three conflict roles, all of which are needed to successfully confront challenging and complex social problems and issues.

A review of Louis Kriesberg's seven elements of constructive conflict, as illustrated in the closing chapter of his new book Fighting Better: Constructive Conflicts in America.

Just as a body needs coordination between its different parts, so does the democracy ecosystem. Everyone has a role to play!

Transforming democracy is an adaptive challenge requiring flexibility, adaptability and intentionality in organizing to enable organizations and millions of Americans to work in unison.

Fixing democracy is everyone's responsibility: we can't leave it to our leaders or the other side. Everyone can -- and must -- do their part.

An in-depth look at the many costs associated with an inability to constructively handle intractable conflicts over deep-rooted moral and distributional issues.

Issue polarization can help people come closer to understanding "the truth" about controversial events or issues. How information is presented to parties in conflicts makes a big difference to the quality of the conflict that ensues.

Boulding's First Law is ""If it exists, it must be possible." All of the essential elements of democracy exist--though sometimes in other contexts. We need to implement them in our governance systems.

Rising heat is not necessarily bad--it shows changes are needed. But we need to pursue those changes constructively, as attempts to overpower or destroy the other will also destroy ourselves.

Successful democracies control destructive escalation, promote respectful communication, use verified facts for decision making, and balance power among constituency groups fairly.

Attacks on the rule of law in the U.S.A. are having an impact on the political mores of other democracies. The U.S. badly needs to update its own democracy to preserve the safety and prosperity of all around the world.

The primary role of bridge-builders in America at this time is to "call in," not to "call out." That this does not make us irrelevant, it makes us essential.

This metaphor leads to a binary assumption: I'm right, they are wrong. We'd be well served dropping that assumption, and listening to others to learn how they might, actually, be right, and we are wrong.

While the worst anti-democratic outcomes may have been averted, this election was still not good for hyper-polarization, and perhaps not good for democracy either.

We cannot change anyone’s opinions, values, ideas, attitudes, judgments, or viewpoints, but, we can understand each other better through learning conversations and use those to find common ground.

This process focuses on five questions examining the nature of the different beliefs and opinions, and how they might be dealt with most constructively depending on whether they are fact-based, moral, or both.

A visioning exercise yields a credible plan for significantly reducing political polarization -- with many additional benefits to individuals, organizations, and society as a whole as well.

The QED trap locks people into a win-lose struggle for power that eliminates any chance of learning, compromise, or collaboration.

This newsletter focuses on the importance of continuing our efforts to strengthen democracy, and considers one obstacle to doing that: being too sure of oneselves (the QED trap).

Julia Roig, Lisa Schirch, Colin Rule and Duncan Autrey examine the meaning of, and the benefits and costs of polarization, and what could be done to limit the costs and improve our democracy.

Polarization is good when it pushes us to change. It is toxic when it causes us to dehumanize and push away "the other." We need to sit with our conflict, explore it, and move through it together.

What outcome do we want to achieve? When we lash out in anger, do these behaviors help or hinder our efforts to achieve that outcome? Are they making the problem worse?

Interest-based processes that allow us to capture the positive aspects of polarization while reframing, minimizing, and transforming the destructive aspects is essential for positive change.

Our current democratic system is inherently flawed because it relies on elected officials to represent people without an effective means of listening to them. We must fix that!

Conrad and Camus also pointed out what we called the Crane Brinton Effect--revolutions tend to lead only to an exchange of regimes with an even more brutal regime likely to replace preceding one.

Democracy is backsliding around the world, driven by polarization, attacks on democratic fundamentals by duly-elected "democratic" leaders, and clandestine, insidious incremental changes.

We all agree society is in grave trouble.  We all have different notions of how to fix it. If we pool our knowledge and work together, we can create a better world for everyone. 

Amid calls for a political revolution to fight systemic oppression, a critical look at why revolutions fail with contributions from the Burgesses, Peter Adler, James Adams, William Donohue, and Mark Hamilton.

More insight into the complex relationship between social justice advocacy and peacebuilding from Larry Susskind, Louis Kriesberg, Jay Rothman, Ken Cloke, Greg Bourne, Lisa Schirch, and Martin Carcasson.

The Burgess respond to Bernie Mayer and Jackie Font-Guzman's assertion that polarization is a "false flag" and the real issue is justice and oppression.

Polarizing language demonstrates features that are readily identifiable. Can such warnings can be heard and action taken to enable people to shift from violence to problem solving before it's too late?

To abandon impartiality completely and simply join the fray as partisans will likely only further erode our political culture and exacerbate the problems of polarization, distrust, and misinformation.

Bernie Mayer and Jackie Font-Guzmán offer a critique of our focus on hyper-polarization based on their book, The Neutrality Trap.

We must overcome the hostile, adversarial, authoritarian forces that separate “us” from “them;” and realize that there is no “them,” there is only us. Then we can face our conflicts and crises together, as a diverse and cohesive community of problem solvers.

The introduction to Ken Cloke's latest book focused on the many concurrent crises facing the United States and the world. It demonstrates compellingly how our only way out is through collaboration.

A summary of an article focused on how peacebuilding dialogue and the movement for social justice should be complementary, not at odds with each other. 

The President of the Institute for Global Negotiation shares his thoughts on how the education system writ large can help entire societies learn and use better conflict resolution techniques.

Kohatsu suggests we follow Adam Grant's "rethinking cycle" -- a progression through humility, doubt, curiosity, and discovering, circling back to humility.

We’ve seen up close the results of hate, discord and violence. We must choose the better path – and the first step begins with each of us making that choice.

Three contributions to the hyper-polarization discussion that explore ways of working together despite the divisive social climate.

We should work to avoid inflaming the “all or nothing” consciousness that often leads in the direction of civil violence, and focus, instead, on our real enemy--the capitalist structure of wealth and power.

For a time when we thought that religious wars were thing of the past, a provocative argument that we are dealing with a new kind of conflict – one based on a secular religion.

A summary of Jay Rothman's 2014 Negotiation Journal article in which Jay suggests mediators cannot be neutral, but they can be reflexive and use "disciplined bias" to reach resolution.

An excerpted version of James Adams's reflection on the similarities between the United States and war-torn and post-war countries abroad where he has served as a peacebuilder. 

The conversation between Jackie, Bernie, and the Burgesses is a good example of the blind man and the elephant parable. We all need to look at the whole elephant!

The world is made of stories, and good stories accumulate into larger narratives and make the world’s history what it is, and what it could be. Here's a story we should learn from before it becomes true.

An approach that says we should focus on peace and not justice is not only bound to fail, it is dangerous in these times when our democracy is under attack and authoritarianism is on the rise.

Is America's core problem hyper-polarization or oppression? Which is the cause and which is the effect? What does this imply about how we address both?

Jay argues that participatory, civic engagement to promote deeper understanding of and commitment to fundamental difference (which he refers to as "agonism") is essential for successful democracy.

Join the Network for Responsible Public Policy on Thurs Aug 25 at 7:30 pm EDT for a discussion of what can be done to bridge todays gaping divides.

Those who want to promote dialogue or peace-making among parties who are “at war” are inviting the wrong people to the wrong kind of event in the wrong way.  There are clear alternatives that work, devising seminars being one of them.

The key to successful revolutionary (or evolutionary) change is a broadly agreed-upon vision for a better society in which most everyone would like to live.

SFCG country director Nawaz Mohamed talks about his background, how he got into peacebuilding work, and how (and why) he is working for reconciliation in his native Sri Lanka.

The continuing chasm that divides Trump supporters and opponents following the January 6 hearings highlights the need for a much more comprehensive effort to address the hyper-polarization problem.

Breakthrough Collaboration is different from traditional dispute resolution and dialogue in that it can be initiated on just one side and does not need to bring the parties together. It can create "ripeness" where none exists.

The combination of complexity theory with negotiation theory yields a powerful tool for effective water resources management--and other complex public problems.

We’ll counter toxic polarization if and only if we offer people a better and credible alternative that they can put into practice in the lived experience of their daily lives. 

Lou Kriesberg, co-author with Bruce Dayton of Constructive Conflicts, offers a variety of comments, including his view that "polarization" implies equivalance of responsibility, which is not accurate.

Listening to or caring about "the other side" has become much less common in "the age of Trump," but that just makes the roles of neutrals all the more important.

Only Republicans can save the party from the abyss they have fallen into; the way out involves changing their dominant root narratives that drive their behavior.

Luttig asserts that America is at war with itself and if its leaders do not quickly develop the moral courage to make peace, America is doomed.

As we embrace every effort to end the tragedy unfolding in Ukraine today, we must seize this moment for what it is: our last best chance to prevent even greater tragedy tomorrow. 

Heidi Burgess interviews Shamill Idress about his career, Search for Common Ground's work, current challenges facing Search, the peacebuilding field, and the world as a whole--and how we can meet them.

From one of the many brave Russians who tried, and failed, to stop their countriy from sliding into an authoritarian dystopia, an eloquent reminder of why we have to strengthen liberal democracy.

The same dynamic that is driving the hyper-polarization crisis in so many countries now threatens to turn the Ukrainian crisis into a truly catastrophic war.

We need to focus on our interdependence, the importance of curiousity, humility, "process pluralism," and most importantly widespread education of the polity on better ways of dealing with conflict.

An appeal for the conflict field to go beyond interpersonal work to organizational work, particularly in businesses and business schools and an explanation of how peacebuilding "hubs" have been used in Belgium and The Netherlands to "scale up" peacebuilding to the societal level.

An exploration of the importance of framing and the need to take control of the destructive narratives that are so pervasive in polarized democracies. We need to replace them with a shared vision for our future -- one that is attractive to everyone including those with whom we disagree. 

Long-time conflict resolution scholar and practitioner, Carrie Menkel-Meadow reflects on the many causes of hyper-polarization and suggests new metaphors and approaches for replacing it with constructive, collaborative problem solving. 

Long-time conflict resolution scholar and practitioner, Carrie Menkel-Meadow reflects on the many causes of hyper-polarization and suggests new metaphors and approaches for replacing it with constructive, collaborative problem solving. 

A call for those with conflict-related expertise to do more to help society more constructively handle the scale and complexity of today's big conflicts while also more effectively countering the efforts of bad-faith actors who are actively working to inflame and exploit our conflicts.

An open invitation to participate in an online exploration of additional things that those with conflict -related expertise might be able to do to help diffuse the hyperpolarized conflict problems that are so threatening to modern societies.

In partnership with the Conflict Resolution Quarterly's new Feature Article series, Beyond Intractability is convening a new online discussion focused on the hyper-polarization crisis.

Heidi Burgess and Nealin Parker talk about how Search for Common Ground is adapting its pathbreaking international peacebuilding work to healing divides in the United States.

The fourth in a series of posts on de-escalation, here we look at de-escalating gestures, breaking stereotypes, trust earning and confidence building, respect, face, and using the optimal "power strategy mix."