Recent BI and Substack Posts

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.