Newsletter #399 — November 10, 2025

by Guy Burgess and Heidi Burgess

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Highlighted Links

A few suggestions about links that we think are especially interesting.

• US Politics
  Hey, Lefties! Trump Has Stolen Your Game. — An eye-opening analysis of the ways in which political tactics developed by the left are now being used to great effect by President Trump to further his agenda.
• Authoritarianism
  Imagining What’s in Trump’s Brain — An insightful look at the complex psychology motivating aspiring and established authoritarians and the ways in which their personality traits contribute to their success.
• Social / Economic Complexity
  Accelerating Abundance in America — Perhaps the most powerful strategy for reducing conflict lies in increasing the size of the "pie" and converting everything into a giant positive-sum game. This essay explores how that might be done.
• Superpower Conflict
  The Old Order Is Dead. Do Not Resuscitate. — A big picture look at the succession of major economic orders that have shaped the history of the US economy and an argument that we are in the process of shifting to a new, and still uncertain, order.
• Disinformation
  You Are Not Supposed to Believe in Anything — An explanation of how the destruction of the very idea that objective truth exists serves the interests of tyranny and authoritarianism.
• Superpower Conflict
  The Great World War 2 Afterparty is over — A long "must-read" article that places our current troubles in historical context, while also offering critical lessons about what needs to be done to get through this dangerous time.
• Artificial Intelligence
  Mapping LLM Tools for Public Discourse, Pluralism & Social Cohesion — A growing wave of civic technologists is using large language models (LLMs) to foster better listening, dialogue, and deliberation, especially in contentious or emotionally charged contexts.

Reader Suggested Links

Highlighting links suggested by our readers. Please send us links to things that you find useful.

• Developing a Unifying Vision
  Bring back liberal nationalism — Liberalism and nationalism are not necessarily competing belief systems. In fact, there is much to be said for combining them.
• Communication Complexity
  Why Doesn’t Anyone Trust the Media? — An extensive case study of one instance in which media credibility collapsed.
• US Politics
  No Politics Is Local — An explanation of the many ways in which local politics is being infected by the deep hyper-polarization that afflicts US politics at the national level.
• Communication Complexity
  The internet wants to be fragmented — An insightful analysis of the way in which the Internet and its flows of information have evolved over time.
• Social / Economic Complexity
  Trump Is Pushing Us Toward a Crash. It Could Be 1929 All Over Again. — For those looking for a mega-worry, a depressingly persuasive argument that the US (and probably, the global) economy is teetering on the edge of a major crash -- one that could upend most everything.
• Israel / Hamas War
  Western activists back Hamas executions, embrace ‘collaborator’ narrative - analysis — News that those most conspicuously worried about the plight of the Palestinians are embracing Hamas' brutal silencing of those who want to build a more peaceful future.
• Israel / Hamas War
  Hamas’s return is revealing Gaza’s true colours — For those who see Gaza's civilians as innocents caught in the crossfire between Israel and Hamas, a story about popular demonstrations of support for Hamas and its tactics.

Colleague Activities

Highlighting things that our conflict and peacebuilding colleagues are doing that contribute to efforts to address the hyper-polarization problem.

• Freedom of Speech 
  We Will Miss Philanthropic Freedom When It’s Gone — The Trump-Vance Administration’s efforts to intimidate and punish progressive funders will be a cure far worse than the affliction (for conservatives and Republicans).
• Constructive Communication
  What Is Collective Narrative Infrastructure and Why Does It Matter? — When built intentionally, narrative infrastructure can support movements not only in responding to the news cycle, but also in shaping it, seeding durable shifts in public norms, discourse, values, and imagination.
• Developing a Unifying Vision
  Freedom Needs a Strategy — Jonathan Stray offers his strategy for promoting freedom: Rebuild our relationship with the other side, reshape the Democrats, and object non-violently. "What's yours?" he asks.
• Superpower Conflict
  Piecemeal Transitions in an Age of State Disintegration — IFIT published a report arguing that the world is undergoing a profound transformation as the balance of power between non-state and state actors shifts visibly and dramatically in favor of the former.
• Effective Problem-Solving
  Are conflicts really getting harder, or are mediators just getting nostalgic? — Samantha Hardy says both are true, and she offers ideas for addressing the new challenges.
• US Politics
  Can Republicans and Democrats both be right? Understanding the logic of both sides' narratives — Both sides see their views to be righteous. Once we understand that, we are better positioned to de-escalate our conflict, rehumanize our view of our opponents, and stop feeding toxic polarization.
• Rule of Law
  Weaponisation of Law: Assault on Democracy — This policy brief examines the growing instrumentalization of legal and administrative mechanisms to target and suppress civil society organizations.
• Media Reform
  Across the Political Divide, Parents Sound the Alarm on Kids’ Online Safety — Across different backgrounds and beliefs, More in Common's survey shows parents of children 17 and under agree on the scale of the online safety challenge, the need for action, and some of the solutions.
• Artificial Intelligence
  Digitized Democracy: How AI is Reshaping Governance and Civic Life — AI has the potential to transform our democracy, but there are important questions that remain unanswered. It is important not only to acknowledge what innovations have been accomplished, but also critical to address those questions.
• Constructive Communication
  New Coalitions for Peace and Development 25 September 2025 International Dialogue on Peacebuilding and Statebuilding Policy Statement — This policy statement provides recommendations on how to help reinvigorate the International Dialogue on Peacebuilding and Statebuilding.
• Civil Society
  Between Order and Chaos: Holding Space for Complexity in Civil Society — We need a better understanding of the swirling patterns of civic life in our turbulent times.
• Peacebuilding
  Fractured Stories, Fragmented Societies: Addressing Collective Trauma through Narrative Engagement  — The Institute for Integrated Transitions (IFIT) published a discussion paper exploring the relationship between collective trauma and narratives in post-conflict and divided societies.
• Violence
  Summary and Commentary: Presidential Memorandum on Countering Domestic Terrorism and Organized Political Violence — The Charity and Security Network summarizes the new Trump Memorandum on domestic terrorism, lists reactions, and suggests what should come next for people who are concerned about this policy.
• Israel / Hamas War
  The Qatar Problem — A detailed look at the enormous, but little recognized, role that Qatar is playing in the war against Israel and in shaping Western opinion on the topic.
• Class Inequity
  What We Get Wrong About Homelessness: The Urban vs. Rural Divide — Homelessness doesn’t look the same everywhere, but it’s happening everywhere. And until we start seeing the full picture, we’ll keep missing the people in the corners of it.
• Developing a Unifying Vision
  In Utah, a group that helped prompt the redistricting says it's acting on faith — A lovely and uplifting NPR piece on Emma Addams of Mormon Women for Ethical Government on what she does and why.
• Authoritarianism
  "Competitive authoritarianism" — An explanation of the meaning of "competitive authoritarianism" -- a word that describes many of today's existing and emerging autocracies.
• Developing a Unifying Vision
  It's time for a new story of society — We need to change from being passive consumers to being active citizens.
• Social / Economic Complexity
  System problems require system-level solutions — Behavioral science provides micro-level insight, while systems thinking offers a macro-level perspective. Together, they form a powerful toolkit for addressing complex challenges in a nuanced and effective manner.
• Civil Society
  Part 1: From Critical Theory to Civic Renewal — This is Part I of a two-part essay on how modern liberation movements lost their moral center—and how rediscovering love and virtue can renew civic life.
• Civic Education
  How to Enhance Formal Neighborhood Governance — Neighborhood groups are where democracy takes root, but many struggle to fully embody its principles. Emerging practices -- such as participatory budgeting and inclusive outreach -- are promising.

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.)

• US Politics
  Most people do not understand the danger of Mamdani. — An explanation of why many people are so concerned about Mandami's stunning victory.
• Authoritarianism
  Trump’s Plan Is Now Out in the Open — An argument that many of the worst-case fears expressed about the Trump candidacy are now being borne out by his Administration's policies and actions.
• Israel / Hamas War
  Benny Morris: The Perfect Storm — An especially insightful and long-term look at the complex processes underlying today's explosion of anti-Semitic beliefs.
• Freedom of Speech 
  The global free speech recession — Disturbing news for those who cherish free speech and think that it is critical to our ability to wisely and equitably solve problems (and resist tyranny).
• Immigration
  Biden and Trump, in their own ways, poisoned the immigration debate — Immigration is one of the most consequential and divisive issues of our time. This article explains how both Republicans and Democrats have made the problem even more intractable.
• US Politics
  This Is the Way You Beat Trump — and Trumpism — An article describing how to build a really big tent -- one big enough to successfully combat Trump-style authoritarianism.
• Superpower Conflict
  The world without hegemony — As we embrace a new age of authoritarian imperialism in the name of disowning the imperialisms of the past, reflections on the positive side of hegemony.
• Authoritarianism
  A New Era of Strongman Rulers Is Upon Us — From the authors, an overview of their important new book, “The Origins of Elected Strongmen: How Personalist Parties Destroy Democracy From Within.”
• US Politics
  Inside the DSA’s Hostile Takeover of the Democratic Party — More insight into the stunning rise of the Democratic Socialists of America and the influence that it is having on Democratic Party politics.
• Family / Gender / LBGTQ+
  The Growing Divide in the Rainbow Coalition — An exploration of a significant, but seldom recognized,conflict that has emerged within LBGTQIA+ coalition.
• Rule of Law
  President Trump’s tariffs v. the Supreme Court’s duties — An in-depth analysis of the complex legal issues surrounding what may be the most consequential Supreme Court case of the still young Trump Presidency.
• Left / Right Conflict
  Liberalism As Mob Boss — An interesting attempt to define liberalism in a way that those on both the left and the right can agree is an accurate way of describing reality.
• Psychological Complexity
  The Decline of Deviance — If one measure of freedom is our willingness to deviate from mainstream orthodoxies and behaviors, this article suggests that we are not doing very well.
• Psychological Complexity
  Politics As Self-Deception — An analysis of the logical contradictions and hypocrisies at the core of the debate over free speech.
• Authoritarianism
  Arctic Frost Is a Real Scandal — For those who think that the weaponization of Federal law enforcement is exclusively a sin of the right, a story about a time when the left went too far.
• Authoritarianism
  Our age of kings — In the wake of the "No Kings" protests, and informative article about the ways in which today's powerful, authoritarian leaders resemble historical royalty.
• Culture and Religion
  Trump Accelerates Our Decline Into Moral Relativism — One of the Republican Party's traditional complaints about Democrats has been their embrace of moral relativism. This article argues that Trump is doing something similar.
• Disinformation
  On Highbrow Misinformation — A thought-provoking exploration of ways in which the educated, elite, workers in the various knowledge fields can also fall victim to the dynamics underlying the misinformation problem.
• Interstate War
  The Lessons of Ukraine’s Drone Warfare — An update on the rapidly changing nature of the drone war in Ukraine -- an update that tells us a lot about what both civil and international war in the near future might look like.
• Social / Economic Complexity
  The Global Population Crisis that Never Was — The revealing history of one area in which the conventional wisdom and widely believed predictions about the future turned out to be wrong.
• Israel / Hamas War
  To understand Israel, remember the Jews of the Arab world. — An important counterpoint to stories about the Palestinians who fled Israel, stories about Jews who had to flee to Israel from other Muslim countries.

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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.

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