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
- Applying conflict resolution insights to the hyper-polarized, society-wide conflicts threatening liberal democracies -- Long-time conflict resolution scholar and practitioner, Carrie Menkel-Meadow reflects on the many causes of hyper-polarization and suggests new metaphors and approaches for replacing it with constructive, collaborative problem solving. -- Mar 26
- BI/CRQ Discussion: Welcome and Invitation to Participate -- An open invitation to participate in an online exploration of additional things that those with conflict -related expertise might be able to do to help diffuse the hyperpolarized conflict problems that are so threatening to modern societies. -- Mar 24
- The Hyper-Polarization Crisis: a Conflict Resolution Challenge -- In partnership with the Conflict Resolution Quarterly's new Feature Article series, Beyond Intractability is convening a new online discussion focused on the hyper-polarization crisis. -- Mar 23
- Ahmaud Arbery’s racist killers are grotesque, but their ‘hate crimes’ prosecution was a show trial -- Reflections on the many dangers swirling around the criminalization of hate. #mbi_context -- Mar 10
- When Antibiotics Stop Working -- A reminder that we will soon face additional, serious health challenges that will require us to move beyond today's destructive healthcare politics. #mbi_context -- Mar 10
- Finding middle ground on issues of race -- A thought-provoking essay that explores the difference between past and future-oriented moral philosophies and associated opportunities for diffusing racial tensions. #mbi_colleague -- Mar 10
- What the Economic Left Gets Right About Politics -- Another "listening-to-both- sides-of-an argument post." This one, on "what the left gets right," complements an earlier post on "what the right gets right." #mbi_context -- Mar 10
- Putin Is Brandishing the Nuclear Option. How Serious Is the Threat? -- A pretty sober and sensible analysis of the risks that the Ukrainian War could escalate into a large-scale nuclear confrontation. #mbi_context -- Mar 09
- I’m a Parent and a Statistician. There’s a Smarter Way to Think About the Under-5 Vaccine. -- An exploration of something that is supposedly smarter than traditional tests of statistical significance! #mbi_context -- Mar 09
- The Contradictions of American History -- It's easy to judge the mistakes of the past, but it's better to learn from them. #mbi_context -- Mar 09
- The End of an Illusion -- Long-term trends toward an increasingly peaceful and just world can only continue if we work very hard to make this a reality. #mbi_context -- Mar 08
- The Week That Awoke the World -- A reminder of how quickly startling events can lead to a global reframing of the way people think about their world. #mbi_context -- Mar 08
- Rare peace accord signed in the Congo, thanks to Carter School’s community-centered approach -- Carter School Dean Alpaslan Özerdem reflects on the historic DRC peace agreement brokered by the Carter School--a unique process and role for an academic institution. #mbi_colleague -- Mar 08
- Cumulative probabilities for nuclear war -- As Kenneth Boulding observed, anything that can go wrong EVENTUALLY will. That's why we can't tolerate a continuing, low probability risk of nuclear war. #mbi_context -- Mar 08
- How to Stop a Nuclear War -- A sensible look at how we have been able to keep periods of intense conflict between nuclear-armed powers from erupting into the nuclear war. #mbi_context -- Mar 07
- The Many Types of Reconciliation -- Different types of reconciliation are better at different times and places, and can be done simultaneously or sequentially. Choosing the proper order can determine success or failure. #mbi_cci -- Mar 07
- How the West Marshaled a Stunning Show of Unity Against Russia -- A rare and inspiring example of how "power-with" power can be mobilized to fight "power-over" aggression. #mbi_context -- Mar 07
- Use of ‘sexist’ and ‘racist’ in the New York Times increased over 400% since 2012. Why? -- Interesting and potentially useful data tracing the evolution of contemporary views about racism and sexism. #mbi_context -- Mar 07
- ‘Get insanely curious when no one else is curious’ -- An illuminating interview with Amanda Ripley – author of "High Conflict: Why We Get Trapped and How to Get Out." #mbi_context -- Mar 06
- The Dictator’s New Playbook -- Now that Ukraine has our attention, it's time to start looking at the tactics that dictators and aspiring dictators have been using to gain control. #mbi_context -- Mar 06
- The Ukrainian War: What Happens When You Have a War That Both Sides Absolutely, Positively Can't Afford to Lose? -- The same dynamic that is driving the hyper-polarization crisis in so many countries now threatens to turn the Ukrainian crisis into a truly catastrophic war. -- Mar 06
- Putin Proves There Are Worse Things Than American Power -- A reminder that, despite its many serious problems and egregious mistakes, US power is still preferable to the aggressive authoritarianism on display in Ukraine. #mbi_context -- Mar 06
- Republicans Discover the Horror of Gerrymandering -- Evidence that the left, as well as the right, is engaged in an all-out effort to alter the electoral rules for partisan advantage. Where does this stop? #mbi_context -- Mar 03
- Political Forgiveness Monthly: February Edition -- History is powerful and can be uncomfortable, but it is in history we can learn from the lessons of the past and forge a better future. #mbi_colleague -- Mar 03
- I reject both parties’ ideas of Americanism. And I’m not the only one. -- A reminder that there is a large constituency waiting to support anyone who can find a way to defuse our hyper-polarized political dysfunction. #mbi_context -- Mar 03
