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
- September 11, October 7, and Our Changing Responses to Terrorism -- A comparison of the differing reactions to the terrorism of September 11 and October 7 plus an exchange of views on the role that dehumanization is playing in the ongoing Middle East wars. -- Oct 06
- Meritocracy and Its Critics -- An articulate defense of meritocratic institutions and ideas -- a defense that provides an important counterpoint to the more critical views that now dominate. -- Oct 04
- Massively Parallel Problem Solving and Democracy Building: An Ongoing Response to the Threats to Democracy in the U.S. - Part 1 -- The first of a five part series on massively parallel democracy building. This installment briefly introduces the core argument about what the threats to democracy are, and what is needed to meet them. -- Oct 02
- How Lying Became Disinformation -- A must read article exploring both the problem of disinformation and the ways in which elites (on both the left and right) are hijacking efforts to limit the problem. -- Sep 30
- Caleb Christen and Vinay Orekondy Talk about the Better Together America Project -- Caleb Christen and Vinay Orekondy talk about the democracy and civic hubs they are helping form around the country to bring "democracy back to the people" where it can actually work. -- Sep 30
- Massively Parallel Peace and Democracy Building Links for the Week of September 29, 2024 -- Our weekly set of recommended readings from colleagues and news and opinion writers. -- Sep 29
- From Contempt to Connection: How Curiosity Transforms Us -- In the latest episode of “Debate Without Hate: Elections 2024,” Scott Shigeoka, author of "Seek: How Curiosity Can Transform Your Life and Change the World," talks about the power of genuine curiosity. -- Sep 28
- The Threat of Political Violence in the United States -- The number of people supporting political violence is not nearly the 30% that has been often reported, but it is still much higher than it should be. We all need to try to calm down our rhetoric so things don't get out of hand. -- Sep 25
- From Essential Partners: It's Not You! Questions are Hard to Write. -- An essay exploring the critically important role that questions play in framing conversations. -- Sep 25
- The Distance between September and October is Far More than a Month -- Important reflections on the differing ways in which the world has responded to the terrorist attacks of September 11 and October 7 -- Sep 22
- Could Congress Leverage AI to Help Restore Faith in US Democracy? -- One of those rare stories that asks how AI might actually be used to strengthen democracy and limit political dysfunction. -- Sep 21
- U.S. Shrugs as World War III Approaches -- A quick summary of the report of the Commission on the National Defense Strategy -- a politically neglected, but critically important, warning about the West's declining ability to deter war and defend itself. -- Sep 21
- Taking Democracy for Granted: Philanthropy, Polarization, and the Need for Responsible Pluralism -- A new report written by Daniel Stid in which he asserts that philanthropy, as it is currently practiced, has increased polarization. He urges philanthropists to practice "responsible pluralism" instead. -- Sep 20
- The Enduring Wisdom of America's Founding Documents -- For a time in which faith in US democracy is plummeting, a review of the reasons why so many people have, throughout history, found the United States' founding principles to be so inspiring. -- Sep 20
- Revisiting BI's Constructive Conflict Initiative - Part 1 -- Looking back on the 5-year old Constructive Conflict Initiative, a lot has happened to bring it to fruition. But a lot of challenges remain. -- Sep 19
- Going All The Way: The loneliness of the long-distance thinker -- Ashok Panikkar reflects on the "cognitive state" of the US citizenry, observing that it is "abysmal. " It "wouldn't be out of place in feudal and despotic societies where we would be proud serfs and well-behaved subjects." -- Sep 18
- Reprise: The Power Strategy Mix — Empowering the Pursuit of the Common Good -- Power takes three forms that can be mixed and matched: coercion, exchange, and integration. The "recipe" for the optimal "power strategy mix" changes depending on whom you are trying to influence. -- Sep 17
- Answers to 12 Bad Anti-Free Speech Arguments -- For those who find themselves engaged in free-speech debates, a review of strategies for rebutting common arguments against free speech. -- Sep 17
- Massively Parallel Peace and Democracy Building Links for the Week of September 15, 2024 -- We've been on vacation, so, to cover what we've missed, this is a long set of news, opinion, colleague, and recommended readings from our followers. -- Sep 15
- Matti Friedman: When We Started to Lie -- A look at how journalism evolved from a field devoted to truth telling to a field focused on supporting the "right way of looking at the world." -- Sep 14
- The Normalization of Terrorism in the West -- Reflections on the very different way in which Western societies have responded to the terrorist attacks of September 11 and October 7. -- Sep 14
- Reprise: Planning a Constructive Confrontation Strategy: Understanding the Relationship between Negotiation and Power -- Constructive confrontation calls for resolving most disputes through interest-based negotiation; only if that fails should one try a contest of rights, reserving nonviolent power contests as a very last resort. -- Sep 11
- Massively Parallel Peace and Democracy Building Links for the Week of September 8, 2024 -- Readings on Israel, the U.S. political scene, and other intractable conflicts of note. -- Sep 09
- Debate Without Hate: A Podcast to Help You Navigate the Election -- A podcast series with experts delving into our nation’s division, threats that arise from this division, and how we can all engage in healthier, more productive political discourse. -- Sep 09
- The Return of History: Liberal Values and Global Realities -- A must-read essay that raises a critically important question, does human society naturally gravitate toward power-with, egalitarian democracy or power-over authoritarianism? -- Sep 07
