BI ArticleRed, 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.
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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
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
Types of "Bad-Faith" Actors
Our democracy is being attacked by "I'll fight you for it" advocates, ruthless competitors, divide-and-conquer politicians, foreign provocateurs, and malevolent nihilists.
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Power Grabbers
Unfortunately, there are people whose principal goal in life is to seek power -- power that enables them to exploit and dictate the beliefs and behaviors of others.
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True Believers
Some people are convinced that their moral framework and way of living constitutes the "one true path" and that everyone else must be persuaded or forced to follow that path.
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Spoilers
Spoilers are those who are resist or try to undermine peacebuilding efforts out of the fear that they will be double-crossed or the belief that the compromises being asked for are unacceptable. They may also be "conflict profiteers" who stand to profit more from war than they would from peace.
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Conflict Profiteers
Conflict profiteers are those who profit from conflict, so they work against peace. Their goal is to make as much money as possible by, for example, selling advocacy services or weapons of war, sometimes to all sides at once.
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Inflammatory Media
Media channels often profit by boosting interest in conflicts with overly inflammatory coverage and then using their coverage of the conflict to build an audience and the revenue that goes with it.
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Alienated Nihilists
Nihilists are people who are so alienated from and hostile toward the larger society that they have given up hope of finding a desirable place for themselves. Some adopt the goal of simply destroying whatever they can.
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Geopolitical Rivals
In a world of competing nation states, vast bureaucracies have been created to weaken rivals (often by inflaming internal tensions).