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
- Potpourri Newsletter #2 -- Comments on our U.S. democracy post, Ashok Panikkar's question about contemporary education, and uplifting essay from Anne Leslie, and a new case study on Burundi from Emmy Irobi. -- Jan 22
- Harry Boyte Talks with Heidi Burgess about the U.S. Civil Rights Movement and the Lessons it Can Teach Us -- Harry Boyte explained how the ideas of the U.S. Civil Rights Movement from the 1950s and 1960s can be adapted by anyone wanting to make fundamental change in their communities and their societies. -- Jan 19
- Massively Parallel Peace and Democracy Building Links for the Week of January 12, 2025 - Part 2. -- This is the second of a two compilations of links collected over the holiday break. -- Jan 14
- Massively Parallel Peace and Democracy Building Links for the Week of January 12, 2025 -- The first of two sets of readings collected over the holiday break. -- Jan 11
- Representative Derek Kilmer on the House Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress and De-polarization -- Guy and Heidi Burgess talked with Rep. Derek Kilmer on how to break down polarization in Congress and in society in order to actually solve problems collaboratively. There is much to learn and utilize here! -- Jan 07
- A Reasonable Peace: Can Critical Thinking Save the Field of Peacebuilding? -- Ashok Panikkar, Heidi and Guy Burgess (with facilitation from Merrick Hoben) talked about why peacebuilding is failing in much of the world, and how the use of critical thinking explains why and what might be done to be more successful. -- Jan 04
- Massively Parallel Peace and Democracy Building Links for the Week of December 21, 2024 -- A last set of readings for 2024. -- Dec 20
- Lou Kriesberg: Applying the Constructive Conflict approach to the American Right-Wing Populism Phenomenon -- Lou Kriesberg explores "what next" for progressives in the United States following Trump's election, arguing that two responses are necessary: resistance, and strengthening democracy. -- Dec 17
- The US in 2024: An Election That Worked and a Democracy That Doesn't -- U.S. polarization and political dysfunction is only going to worsen until the two parties realize that the problem isn't "the other," but rather the way we (don't) tolerate, compromise and or work collaboratively with with "the other." -- Dec 15
- The US in 2024: An Election That Worked and a Democracy That Doesn't -- U.S. polarization and political dysfunction is only going to worsen until the two parties realize that the problem isn't "the other," but rather the way we refuse to tolerate, compromise and/or work collaboratively with with "the other." -- Dec 15
- Marc Wong on How We Can Bring Out the Best in Others -- and Ourselves -- Road rage is much like ideological rage. We don't accept the former; why do we accept the latter? -- Dec 11
- Massively Parallel Peace and Democracy Building Links for the Week of December 8, 2024 -- Reading and videos from colleagues and journalists on peace, conflict, and governance. -- Dec 08
- Ariel Markose, the Chief Strategy Officer of Amal-Tikva, Talks About How To Do Peacebuilding in Wartime -- Peacebuilding looks different in the context of war, but it can (and must) be done, explains Ariel Markose, CEO of a leading Israeli-Palestinian NGO. And, she explains, it IS being done, despite tremendous obstacles. -- Dec 05
- Massively Parallel Peace and Democracy Building Links for the Week of November 24, 2024 -- Our weekly compilation of interesting and important readings from other sources. -- Nov 24
- Do You Want the U.S. Government to Work? Read This! And Then Do This! -- A description of the House Administration's Subcommittee on Modernization, and its predecessor, the House Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress, and a plea for everyone to lobby for its continuation in the incoming Congress. -- Nov 21
- Kristin Hansen: As America’s political “world series” wraps up, let’s focus on the long game + Richard Harwood Concurring Statement -- Kristin Hansen of the Civic Health Project reflects on where we need to move to strengthen our civic health after the election; Richard Harwood and the Burgesses concur and add a few more thoughts about how to create a new "civic path." -- Nov 19
- Massively Parallel Peace and Democracy Building Links for the Week of November 17, 2024 -- Our weekly set of "reader-suggested" links, colleague activities and news and opinions from journalists and others outside the conflict and peace field. -- Nov 16
- Daniel Stid: The Meaning of Democracy in Nine Words -- Daniel Stid writes about one definition of democracy -- that it is a system in which one party loses elections, but is able and wants to "come back and play again." -- Nov 13
- More Reflections from "Gail," The Israeli Peacebuilder Who Also Serves in the IDF Active Reserves -- And What that Says for U.S. Peacebuildi -- Excerpts from an email exchange between Heidi Burgess and one of her former students, who is now a peacebuilder in an Israeli/Palestinian peacebuilding organization, while also serving in the IDF reserves. -- Nov 12
- Massively Parallel Peace and Democracy Building Links for the Week of November 10, 2024 -- Thoughts on the U.S. election from our readers, or colleagues, and journalists, among other interesting reads. -- Nov 10
- Emma Addams and Jennifer Thomas Talk about Mormon Women for Ethical Government -- Emma Addams and Jennifer Thomas talk about the founding, the principles, and the "magic sauce" that has made the Mormon Women for Ethical Government so successful. -- Nov 07
- “Don’t Destroy What you Want to Inherit”: Peacebuilding Holds the Key to Building a Strong United States of America -- A guest post from a MSc student at Ulster University in Northern Ireland, charting a way forward in the United States after the election -- suggesting three critical steps the U.S. might take to avoid "destroying the country we want our children to inherit." -- Nov 04
- Massively Parallel Peace and Democracy Building Links for the Week of November 3, 2024 -- Reader-suggested links, along with Guy Burgess's suggested links to colleague activities and news and opinion stories from the last few weeks. -- Nov 02
- Massively Parallel Problem Solving and Democracy Building: An Ongoing Response to the Threats to Democracy in the U.S. - Part 5 -- This final installment of the Burgess's Toda Policy Brief on Massively Parallel Democracy Building describes 53 different roles which all need to be filled simultaneously for democracy strengthening efforts to succeed. And everyone fits somewhere! -- Oct 31
- Massively Parallel Problem Solving and Democracy Building: An Ongoing Response to the Threats to Democracy in the U.S. - Part 4 -- This 4th (of 5) installments of the Burgess's Toda Policy Brief on Massively Parallel Democracy Building lays out seven essential goals, all of which contribute to developing a "power-with democracy" to replace "power-over" approaches. -- Oct 28
