Constructive Conflict Guide > The Complex Factors That Make Intractable Conflict So Difficult > Challenges Posed by Bad-Faith Actors Who Who Are Trying to Profit by Undermining Collaboration and Power-with Democracy______________________
Parent (Previous) Guide Folders Constructive Conflict Guide > The Complex Factors That Make Intractable Conflict So Difficult > Challenges Posed by Bad-Faith Actors Who Who Are Trying to Profit by Undermining Collaboration and Power-with Democracy
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BI Article
"Bad-Faith" Actor Tactics
Bad-faith actors are using a wide range of sinister and deceptive tactics to undermine efforts to make collaborative democracy work.
BI Article
The Base-Mobilization Trap
With over 40% of eligible citizens not bothering to vote, it's easier to win elections by firing up the base than winning over persuadable voters.
BI Article
Red, Blue, Gold Interactions, Destructive Polarization and the Peacebuilding Imperative
An explanation of the critical distinction between left vs. right conflicts and authoritarians vs. everyone else conflicts.
BI Article
The Purple/Gold Distributional Divide
An exploration of the conflict between the plutocrats, the meritocracy, the "left behind," and the "protected classes."
BI Article
"Bad-Faith" Actors -- Our Sources of Vulnerability
An examination of psychological, social, and communication-related factors that make us vulnerable to those who wish to amplify and exploit our conflicts.
BI Article
Massively Parallel Partisanship Revisited
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!
BI Article
Predicting a "Rule-of-Law" Crisis?
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."
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Information Warfare
Information warfare is getting increasingly common as the Internet and social media make it so easy and inexpensive to drown users in false information.
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Fear and Hatemongering
Bad-faith actors try to win support by sowing hate and making their potential supporters fear and distrust "the other side," framing them as the epitome of evil and their own side the ultimate good and savior from evil.
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Corruption and Economic Exploitation
Another common strategy of bad-faith actors is to exploit everyone else for their own economic and political gain.
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Imposing Controversial Values on Other Groups
The American Constitution guarantees freedom of religion and speech (hence thought), but both the left and the right have been trying to impose their own values on the other side (the right by outlawing abortion, for instance, and the left by allowing it, and promoting other progressive values such as DEI and the support of gender transition.)
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Disenfranchising Moderates, Denouncing Compromise
Bad-faith actors insist that their views are the only correct views and opposing views are completely wrong. So they denounce moderates who can see value in both sides as sell-outs or traitors, and denounce compromise as unacceptable submission.
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Threats, Intimidation, and Small Scale Violence
Intimidating and threatening people is a standard strategy for bad-faith actors, who take a "might-makes-right" approach to getting what they want. Sometimes the threats and intimidation turn into violence. Here we look at small-scale violence; next we will look at large-scale aggression, such as war.
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Large Scale Aggression
When small scale violence grows to encompass much of a society -- or multiple societies -- it can usually be called war. But war, increasingly, takes a variety of forms, including traditional warfare tactics of guns, bombs, tanks, and missiles, to what is called "gray zone" or "hybrid warfare" that includes information warfare, lawfare, and other "soft" strategies, along with terrorism, which deliberately targets civilians for the purpose of instilling fear and demoralization.
Colleague Activities
Hybrid Warfare: Fighting Back with Whole-of-Society tactics
This webinar reflected on the implications of this new type of warfare for liberal democracies. It highlights the need to build resilience and to increase collaboration between the public and private sectors.
News and Opinion
'The playbook is the American alt-right': Bolsonaristas follow familiar extremist tactics
News and Opinion
The 2020 Election Will Be a War of Disinformation
An in-depth and terrifying look at how increasingly sophisticated disinformation tactics threaten the upcoming election. We need a constructive response.
News and Opinion
Mike Bloomberg Is Hacking Your Attention
Bloomberg raises big ethical questions for those who oppose Trump's information warfare tactics: To what degree should we fight "fire with fire?"
News and Opinion
Russia is interfering in our elections again. And Trump supporters are emulating Russian tactics.
News and Opinion
Five Tactics for Undermining Democracy