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Constructive Conflict Guide >
Intractable Conflict Threat and Opportunity >
The Constructive Conflict Promise: an Engine of Social Learning and Progress >
A Vision for a Democracy That Lives up to Its Ideals
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Establishment of Personal Relationships
While strong personal relationships alone cannot bring about conflict resolution, they can help to transform the conflict and make it easier to resolve. Relationships between the opposing sides help to build trust, improve communication, and increase tolerance.
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Networking
This essay describes how networking can be used to build relationships and empower individuals and groups to confront difficult conflicts more effectively.
BI Article
Talking Race and Democracy with Grande Lum
Reflections on the Community Relations Service, the Divided Community Project, the Rebuild Congress Initiative, the Disagree Better Campaign, and many other topics.
BI Audio/Video
Grande Lum talks about Race Relations and Democracy and How to Strengthen Both
Grande Lum talks about the race, democracy, the Community Relations Service, the Rebuild Congress Initiative, and now his work at Stanford Law School as Director of the Gould Center for Conflict Resolution.
BI Article
Bill Froehlich Talks about the Ohio State Divided Community Project
A summary of a conversation Bill Froehlich about the work of the Divided Community Project which works to help deeply divided communities come together to prevent, and respond to civic strife.
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The Franco-German Relationship: From Animosity to Affinity
An examination of how France and Germany transformed their relationship from long-term enemies to strong allies.
BI Article
Building Peace After Terrorism: From Reconciled Relationship to Structural Change
Sumner argues that counterterrorism and peacebuilding are not "separate islands," but rather go "hand-in-hand" as both involve addressing the root causes of terrorism through a conflict transformation framework.
BI Article
Relational-Cultural Theory: Fostering Healthy Coexistence Through a Relational Lens
Relational-Cultural Theory brings relationships to the forefront of human psychology, focusing particularly on the concepts of connection and disconnection, and the causes of such. This essay applies this theoretical approach to the theory and practice of conflict transformation and peacebuilding.
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Destroys Relationships
Even small scale intractable conflicts can destroy once harmonious and rewarding relationships.
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Build and Repair Relationships
Society, as well as smaller assemblies of people, are built on relationships. When relationships are loving, respectful, friendly, and trusting, conflicts can usually be resolved without great difficulty. When relationships break down, or never existed, conflict resolution and problem solving becomes much more difficult. So an early step in dealing effectively with intractable conflicts is strengthening the relationship between the disputants.