Recent BI and Substack Posts

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.