Recent BI and Substack Posts

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.

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. 

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.

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. 

Rather than continuing to post individual links on social media, I have decided to start posting a larger collection of such links each week in the Beyond Intractability Substack Newsletter.

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