Newsletter #274 — September 15, 2024
Reader Suggested Links
Highlighting links suggested by our readers. Please send us links to things that you find useful.
- Communication Complexity
Matti Friedman: When We Started to Lie — A look at how journalism evolved from a field devoted to truth telling to a field focused on supporting the "'right way' of looking at the world." - Terror
How the War on Terror Warped the American Left — A thought-provoking exploration ways in which the war on terror influenced the thinking of those on the political left. - Israel / Hamas War
Report: "The secret document found on a computer in Gaza, and revealed Sinwar's tactics in the negotiations — A report on a document that supposedly reveals Hamas' secret strategy -- a strategy that is cynically exploiting the compassion and goodwill of so many in the West. - Israel / Hamas War
Human shields: ‘Every third house’ in south Lebanon is used by Hezbollah for military purposes — An alarming report that makes clear the degree to which Hamas' civilian shield/sacrifice strategy is being used by Hezbollah in Lebanon. - Israel / Hamas War
'Anti-Zionism' is literally killing millions of people. — A critical look at the anti-Zionism movement and an argument that the movement is a major contributor to global suffering. - Israel / Hamas War
Israel complied with the UN — but peace never came. — A look at the many instances in which the "land for peace" strategy that peacebuilders have urged upon Israel has failed (and reasons for us to ask harder questions about how best to deal with intractable conflict). - Israel / Hamas War
Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis — An interesting website that tries to balance mainstream media reports about the Middle East with easier access to "the other side of the story." - Israel / Hamas War
Hamas’s ideological commitment — A short video making the argument that the conflict between Israel and its neighbors is about religion, not land. - Israel / Hamas War
How the Progressive Left Adopted Oppressive 'Palestine' – A Guide — An attempt to answer one of today's big mysteries -- why do Palestinians (who are so hostile to so many progressive beliefs) enjoy such strong support from the political left.
Colleague Activities
Highlighting things that our conflict and peacebuilding colleagues are doing that contribute to efforts to address the hyper-polarization problem.
- Disinformation
Unlocking the Secrets of Misinformation with Samuel Spitale — A conversation about how misinformation shapes our reality -- and what we can do about it. - Constructive Communication
A Liberal Reader Criticizes Us for “Both-sides”-ism — Starts with Us explains that examining polarizing behaviors from people across the political spectrum helps people on all sides see that they have an important role to play in healing our divisions and helping solve problems. - Authoritarianism
Is Political Forgiveness an Antidote to Authoritarianism? — Authoritarian movements take hold because of the choices we make. While we can also make choices that that will reverse these trends, we have to recognize what is happening first. - Authoritarianism
How To Spot Authoritarianism — and Choose Democracy | Ian Bassin | TED — Detailing the seven steps of the authoritarian playbook, Bassin invites us all to put aside our differences and rethink our role in the fight for freedom, revealing the hope and power behind every choice we make. - Authoritarianism
Combatting Authoritarianism: The Skills and Infrastructure Needed to Organize Across Difference — This 2022 article, by Maria Stephan and Julia Roig, is part of a series from leading experts with practical solutions to democratic backsliding, polarization, and political violence. - De-Escalation Strategies
- ‘UNDIVIDE US’ Film is Breaking Down Barriers for Civil Conversation — From the Philanthropy Roundtable, guidelines for promoting more constructive ways of discussing controversial issues.
- De-Escalation Strategies
Cynical interpretations of our adversaries' actions can amplify divides — and help our adversaries — Zach Elwood talks about the responses he has received to a controversial article that he published in The Fulcrum on the consequences of cynicism. - Psychological Complexity
Going All The Way: The loneliness of the long-distance thinker — Ashok Panikkar reflects on the "cognitive state" of the US citizenry, observing that it is "abysmal. " It "wouldn't be out of place in feudal and despotic societies where we would be proud serfs and well-behaved subjects." - Developing a Unifying Vision
The New Paradigm Coalition — Chip Hauss reports on an new coalition which seeks to "consider new paradigms that focus on interdependence, evolution, commons-related problems, and psychological flexibility." - Runaway Escalation
When We Think The Other Side is Bad, We Act Badly — When we overestimate the opposition’s inclination to play foul, we risk delivering a self-fulfilling prophecy. - Saving Democracy
Taking Democracy for Granted: Philanthropy, Polarization, and the Need for Responsible Pluralism — A new report written by Daniel Stid in which he asserts that philanthropy, as it is currently practiced, has increased polarization. He urges philanthropists to practice "responsible pluralism" instead. - Disinformation
Class 35. How to Inoculate Your Mind Against Disinformation — For a world in which so many people are trying to deceive us, a class on how to protect ourselves. - De-Escalation Strategies
What Can a Chicago Gang Member Teach Us About Our Divides? Amanda Ripley Explains — Reflections on our hyper-polarized politics from a surprising source (with a different perspective on conflict) -- the street gangs of Chicago.
News and Opinion
From around the web, more insight into the nature of our conflict problems, limits of business-as-usual thinking, and things people are doing to try to make things better. (Formerly, Beyond Intractability in Context.)
- Constructive Advocacy
Democracy Requires Disagreement. Here’s How To Do It Better. — A TED Talk with Bret Stephens and Yordanos Eyoel who discuss why democracy is still our best hope. They also offer ways we can strengthen our societies by learning to disagree more constructively. - Saving Democracy
The Left’s Assault on the Constitution — For those who see Democrats as defenders of our democratic (and Constitutional) institutions, a worrying story about the many Democrats who are embracing radical changes to those institutions. - Saving Democracy
Things Worth Remembering: The Imperfection of America — An argument for holding democratic institutions to a more reasonable standard -- one that reflects the fact that we are a long ways from figuring out a perfect process for governing ourselves. - Israel / Hamas War
Dark Tunnels and Moral Beacons — Reflections on the execution of six Israeli hostages after so many months of captivity -- an act of self-dehumanization on the part of Hamas that seems designed to further compound the tragedy. - Terror
The Normalization of Terrorism in the West — Reflections on the very different way in which Western societies have responded to the terrorist attacks of September 11 and October 7. - US Election
Sympathy for the Undecided Voter — In the context of the upcoming US Presidential election, a look at those suffering from what psychologists call avoidance-avoidance conflicts. - Freedom of Speech
Scenes From The Literary Blacklist — A heartbreaking story about how cancel culture pressures are destroying young writers' careers and creativity before anyone really has a chance to hear what they have to say. - Education
Saving the Idea of the University at Dartmouth — From the president of Dartmouth, thoughts about how universities might be better able to live up to to their traditional ideals. - Education
2024 American College Student Freedom, Progress, and Flourishing Survey — A big statistical report that offers an illuminating window into the life and thinking of today's college students. - US Election
Merrick Garland and the ‘Norms’ of Justice — From the Wall Street Journal, a look at "lawfare" as practiced by Democrats. - Developing a Unifying Vision
Alexandre Lefebvre on Liberalism as a Way of Life — Liberalism is more than an approach to politics, it is a comprehensive set of cultural beliefs. - Education
Should a ‘Diverse’ Campus Mean More Conservatives? — A look at the many arguments swirling around calling for more ideological diversity on campus. - Constructive Communication
Things Worth Remembering: Conversation Is an Art — Reflections on what it really takes to master the art of conversation and constructive communication. - Effective Communication Strategies
To Put It Bluntly — A provocative critique of the now widespread practice of avoiding tough issues through euphemistic phraseology that prioritizes the avoidance of uncomfortable assertions. - Israel / Hamas War
Son of Hamas founder insists 'no such thing' as Israel, Hamas cease-fire until ayatollah is gone — Thoughts on what it will really take to bring peace to Israel and its neighbors from a rare and valuable perspective -- the son of one of Hamas' founders. - Freedom of Speech
Answers to 12 Bad Anti-Free Speech Arguments — For those who find themselves engaged in free-speech debates, a review of strategies for rebutting common arguments against free speech. - Class Inequity
John Rawls and the death of Western Marxism — A thought-provoking essay highlighting the ways in which Marxist thought has evolved in the West over the last several decades. - Education
Abolish Grades — A description of a surprisingly well reasoned strategy for limiting the ways in which grade inflation is distorting the educational incentives of today's college students. - Authoritarianism
The Taliban Have Reached a New Low. How Can the World Respond? — A reminder of the enormous human costs that have accompanied, in the wake of US withdrawal, the rise of the Taliban. - Psychological Complexity
How the psychology of political division could lead us out of it — Further thoughts on the complex psychology driving (and, potentially, undermining) hyperpolarization. - US Election
Trump’s Road Map for Taking ‘Woke’ Out of American Education — From critics of the trend toward increasingly "woke" approaches to education, concrete plans for reversing those trends. - Israel / Hamas War
Gaza and the Apocalypse — The surprising story of the large number of religious groups that see, in ongoing Mideast strife, the fulfillment of long anticipated prophecies. - Race / Anti-Racism
The Scandal Hidden in Plain Sight — A provocative challenge to the idea that racism is responsible for all racial disparities -- and an alternative explanation that is hard to completely refute. - Israel / Hamas War
Can We Be a Little Less Selective With Our Moral Outrage? — As we agonize over the loss of life on the many fronts of Israel's ongoing war, an important reminder that there are a great many other tragedies that deserve attention. - Social Complexity
How Fascism Happens by Mark Jones — A review and summary of two important new books about the historical origins of fascism -- books with important insights about how we might be able to better protect ourselves. - Race / Anti-Racism
D.E.I. Is Not Working on College Campuses. We Need a New Approach. — For a time in which DEI programs are clearly not delivering on the racial harmony that they promised, a critical review of current practices and the thoughts about more promising approaches. - Artificial Intelligence
What’s Ahead for Artificial Intelligence — A big report from the Wall Street Journal on where the rapidly changing field of Artificial Intelligence is taking us. - Saving Democracy
The Enduring Wisdom of America's Founding Documents — For a time in which faith in US democracy is plummeting, a review of the reasons why so many people have, throughout history, found the United States' founding principles to be so inspiring. - Inflammatory Media
Twitter Runs On Hate -- But Its Users Don't Reflect Real Life — An essay exploring the hateful rhetoric that provides so much of Twitter/X's energy and the relationship between those views and mainstream public opinion. - Israel / Hamas War
Israel and the Coming Long War — An illuminating attempt to apply the long war perspective to the ongoing conflict between Israel and its neighbors. - Authoritarianism
The Americans Who Yearn for Anti-American Propaganda — An attempt to understand the motivations behind those who seek out information that deceptively demonizes Western democracies. - Intersectional Left
How French Intellectuals Ruined the West — An illuminating look at the intellectual foundations at the enormously consequential philosophical perspective of postmodernism.
Please Contribute Your Ideas To This Discussion!
In order to prevent bots, spammers, and other malicious content, we are asking contributors to send their contributions to us directly. If your idea is short, with simple formatting, you can put it directly in the contact box. However, the contact form does not allow attachments. So if you are contributing a longer article, with formatting beyond simple paragraphs, just send us a note using the contact box, and we'll respond via an email to which you can reply with your attachment. This is a bit of a hassle, we know, but it has kept our site (and our inbox) clean. And if you are wondering, we do publish essays that disagree with or are critical of us. We want a robust exchange of views.
About the MBI Newsletters
Two or three times a week, Guy and Heidi Burgess, the BI Directors, share some of our thoughts on political hyper-polarization and related topics. We also share essays from our colleagues and other contributors, and every week or so, we devote one newsletter to annotated links to outside readings that we found particularly useful relating to U.S. hyper-polarization, threats to peace (and actual violence) in other countries, and related topics of interest. Each Newsletter is posted on BI, and sent out by email through Substack to subscribers. You can sign up to receive your copy here and find the latest newsletter here or on our BI Newsletter page, which also provides access to all the past newsletters, going back to 2017.
NOTE! If you signed up for this Newsletter and don't see it in your inbox, it might be going to one of your other emails folder (such as promotions, social, or spam). Check there or search for beyondintractability@substack.com and if you still can't find it, first go to our Substack help page, and if that doesn't help, please contact us.
If you like what you read here, please ....
