Recent Beyond Intractability Posts
Including Hyper-Polarization Posts
Posts by BI Section
Lists of recent posts are also available separately for each BI Section:
Hyper-Polarization Discussion Posts | Earlier Constructive Conflict Initiative Blog
Things You Can Do To Help | Conflict Frontiers | Conflict Fundamentals
Beyond Intractability in Context | Colleague Activities
- We Need a National Civics Requirement -- A compelling argument for strengthening the teaching of "civics" -- the underlying commonality that binds together US democracy's diverse citizenry. -- Feb 04
- Constructive Confrontation: Applying Conflict Insights from a 1st Party (Not 3rd Party) Perspective -- Constructive confrontation applies conflict resolution theory and practice to advocacy efforts in an effort to limit pushback and maximize attainment of ones interests and needs. -- Feb 02
- We keep moving from one wrong fight to another. Here’s how to stop. -- From Amanda Ripley, provocative essay that explores the inflammatory role being played by conflict entrepreneurs and the misconceptions that we spend so much time fighting about. -- Feb 01
- Someone Else's Utopia -- A report on a fascinating new compilation of mini-biographies telling the story of how life experiences have altered the views of those who have tried to make the world a better place. -- Feb 01
- More Perfect -- A a national campaign to align American citizens and institutions around a shared vision for our democracy – and to marshal all the energy and resources it will take to achieve that future together. -- Feb 01
- Could MPP Make Hyper-Polarization Worse? -- Bad-faith actors can and do use a massively parallel strategy to drive us apart. But that doesn't mean that the strategy is bad -- it means that it is effective. Good-faith actors need to learn how to use these techniques to bring us together. -- Jan 28
- Colleague and Context Posts for the Week of January 29 -- In addition to more links to interesting projects that our democracy, conflict, and peace colleagues are doing, recommended articles on political moderates, the lifetime insights of prominent social activists, ways of limiting done violence, and other topics. -- Jan 28
- Revisiting the Gun Violence Issue and America's Declining Trust and Increasing Sense of Threat -- A look at what we know about reducing the mutual hostility (associated with escalation and hyper-polarization dynamics) that contributes so much to mass shootings, gun deaths, and interpersonal and political violence. -- Jan 26
- Citizens' Assemblies: Democracy that Works -- A description of a new form of democracy in which a randomly selected group of citizens does an in-depth analysis of an issue, evaluates possible solutions, and then makes an informed decision. -- Jan 24
- Guy Burgess and Heidi Burgess: Massively Parallel Peacebuilding vs. Massively Parallel Partisanship -- Advocacy plays a key role in Massively Parallel Peacebuilding. But, this role can either be supportive and helpful, or destructive, depending on how it is done. -- Jan 24
- There Is No Right Side of History -- A welcome critique of the overused claim that "history is on our side." History is not inevitable, it's what we make of it and, besides, there is no absolutely and universally right set of beliefs. -- Jan 24
- Massively Parallel Peacebuilding vs. Massively Parallel Partisanship -- As we work to build a massively parallel peacebuilding movement to limit hyper-polarization and protect democracy, we must be aware of other, more partisan massively parallel movements that are deepening our divisions. -- Jan 24
- Julia Roig: Where Does Civil Resistance and Social Justice Fit in MPP? -- How do we distinguish when taking a stand is what’s absolutely called for – because we’ve reached the tipping point of uncivil politics/undemocratic behaviors? But perhaps we need to find a better way of doing it. -- Jan 24
- Beyond Conflict's Reports on America's Divided Mind and Renewing American Democracy -- Now is our time to re-rebuild our democracy, and it will take all of us, working on multi-faceted solutions at the local, state, and national levels. -- Jan 23
- Colleague and Context Posts for the Week of January 22 -- Links to things that our colleagues are doing at places like Search for Common Ground, Renew America, the National Association of Nonpartisan Reformers, as well as fifteen fascinating articles that help us understand the complexity of society-wide intractable conflict. -- Jan 21
- America Is on the Right Track -- One of the most encouraging and uplifting essays I've read in a long time. It asks us to put aside our worst-case cognitive biases and look at the bigger picture -- one that is far more positive. -- Jan 21
- America’s True Divide: Pluralists vs. Zealots -- A perceptive look at what is arguably a more important political divide -- one that separates those who are absolutely convinced that their side is in the right and those who see value in reconciling competing perspectives and insights. -- Jan 19
- What’s your ‘red line’? | Jonathan Haidt with Mónica Guzmán -- Does engaging bad ideas across the divide make you a bad person? Renowned psychologist and author Jonathan Haidt talks with Monica Guzman in this Braver Angels video. -- Jan 19
- In Search of Authority -- A thought-provoking exploration of the nature of "authority," what determines whether it is trusted and trustworthy, and what happens to society's ability to work together for the common good when it collapses. -- Jan 18
- The Google Maps and Adopt-a-Highway Approach to Systems (Newsletter 72) -- If we were to map all the challenges Google-maps style, and then each person or organization were to adopt one or two of the challenges that were not widely adopted by others, that could have a much bigger impact. -- Jan 18
- Confronting Controversial Issues in the Classroom -- Discussions of controversial issues are frequently prescribed by theorists, professors, and civic organizations, but most school systems are reluctant. Here's how to do it well. -- Jan 17
- National Issues Forum's Issue Guides -- On policing, elections, COVID vaccines, immigration, and lots of other controversial issues. -- Jan 16
- Launching a Third Party Takes More Than Good Intentions -- A friendly critique of the Forward Party and its efforts to offer voters a moderate alternative to the "us-vs-them" politics that dominates the two major parties with lots of ideas about what it takes to be successful. -- Jan 16
- A Love Letter to America -- An honest and affectionate look at what makes US society and its democratic institutions something to celebrate and nurture despite their deep flaws -- flaws that are deeply intertwined with its virtues. -- Jan 15
- Colleague and Context Posts for the Week of January 15 -- Rather than continuing to post individual links on social media, I have decided to start posting a larger collection of such links each week in the Beyond Intractability Substack Newsletter. -- Jan 11
