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
- 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
- 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 22
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- National Issues Forum's Issue Guides -- On policing, elections, COVID vaccines, immigration, and lots of other controversial issues. -- 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 -- Highlighting the Constructive Dialogue Institute, the National Issues Forum, the ABA's guidelines for discussing controversial issues in the classroom, the National Constitution Center, and much more. -- 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
- Addressing the Skeptics And Moving Forward -- Massive social change IS possible if people decide they want to work at it! -- Jan 10
- Anne Leslie: Embracing Ambiguity -- Curiosity will get you SO FAR. …Never underestimate the power of being curious and likeable! It will get you so far in life! And it’s massively, massively underestimated. -- Jan 05
- Kristin Hansen talks about the Civic Health Project's Work on De-polarization in America -- A discussion of ends and means, incentives, interventions, scale, challenges, successes, visions--Kristen's vision is clear and exceptionally wide ranging at the same time. (Summary of full interview) -- Jan 04
- Conversation with Kristin Hansen, Executive Director of the Civic Health Project -- To really do bridge building work credibly, you can't assume an outcome. You have to move upstream. and you have to be about means and not about ends. You have to trust that the ends will go where the universe wants them to go. (Full interview) -- Jan 04
- Massively Parallel Peacebuilding/Problem Solving -- Defusing the hyper-polarization spiral is an extremely large and complex task. This newsletter introduces a promising strategy for working at this level. -- Jan 03
- Canaries, Constructive Advocates, and Intermediaries -- A comparison of three conflict roles, all of which are needed to successfully confront challenging and complex social problems and issues. -- Jan 01
- Lou Kriesberg's Chapter 10 in Fighting Better - Recovering and Advancing Equality in the Future -- A review of Louis Kriesberg's seven elements of constructive conflict, as illustrated in the closing chapter of his new book Fighting Better: Constructive Conflicts in America. -- Dec 31
- Review of Fighting Better: Constructive Conflicts in America by Louis Kriesberg -- A review of a new (December 2022) book looking at the struggle for class, status, and power equity in the United States from 1945- 2022, drawing lessons about what strategies work and which don't. -- Dec 31
