Beyond Intractability: A Free Knowledge Base on More Constructive Approaches to Destructive Conflict

Polarization
	Laura Chasin suggests that that the degeneration of public discourse poses a threat to democracy.
	William Ury begins explaining his role in trying to prevent a civil war in Venezuela, where the country is extremely polarized between those who support the president and those who oppose him. Like many other countries, it is essentially a conflict between the "haves" and "have nots." Before Ury came in and introduced his notion of "the third side" or people "for the whole," there was no room for neutrals-people were forced to take a side.
	Terrence Lyons talks about the roles that diaspora populations can play both as spoilers and as dialogue participants.
	What's an "extremist?" Roy Lewicki discusses how language can make a conflict better or worse.
	Peter Coleman describes an abortion dialogue in which the parties came to respect each other and protect one another, but they were still very polarized on the abortion issue.

This rough transcript provides a text alternative to audio. We apologize for occasional errors and unintelligible sections (which are marked with ???).

We are going to have to find ways of organizing ourselves cooperatively, sanely, scientifically, harmonically and in regenerative spontaneity with the rest of humanity around the earth. -- Buckminster Fuller

Featured Links
Organizations Making Noteworthy Contributions to Efforts to Promote More Constructive Conflict

The Australian Ctr. for Peace and Conflict Studies

The Australian Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies

Other Resources from
Beyond Intractability

CRInfo

Nobel Peace Prize Winners

Shirin Ebadi
Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003 "for her efforts for democracy and human rights. She has focused especially on the struggle for the rights of women and children."

Beyond Intractability Version IV
Copyright © 2003-2007 The Beyond Intractability Project
Beyond Intractability is a Registered Trademark of the University of Colorado
Project Acknowledgements

The Beyond Intractability Knowledge Base Project
Guy Burgess and Heidi Burgess, Co-Directors and Editors
c/o Conflict Information Consortium (Formerly Conflict Research Consortium), University of Colorado
Campus Box 580, Boulder, CO 80309
Phone: (303) 492-1635; Fax: (303) 492-2154; Contact