Newsletter #212 — February 25, 2024
Reader Suggested Links
Highlighting links suggested by our readers. Please send us links to things that you find useful.
- Israel / Hamas War
Where are Our Jews? — A critical look at the Israeli campaign in Gaza and, especially, plans for the invasion of Rafah. - De-Escalation Strategies
The Most Important Writing Exercise I’ve Ever Assigned — A simple and really creative writing assignment (or introspective thought experiment) that helps people see across the deepest of our political divides. - Political Dysfunction
Who rules the UK, parliament or the mob? Intimidation over Gaza threatens British democracy — More information about how threats of physical violence against Members of the British Parliament are influencing national policy (something that is starting to happen in the US). - Israel / Hamas War
Women Wage Peace — Another organization to add to Louis Kriesberg's list of the Israeli peace groups that are trying to struggle with the ongoing war. - Peacebuilding
President Bukele nukes a BBC reporter for criticizing his tough crime crackdown in El Salvador — From the President of El Salvador, a complaint how western democracies are trying to impose their "solutions" on his country -- solutions that he thinks are unworkable. - Israel / Hamas War
The Fraudulent Case Against ‘Violent Settlers’ — A look at the larger context surrounding stories of Israeli settler violence on the West Bank and ongoing efforts to defend against Palestinian terrorism. - Israel / Hamas War
What Americans don’t get about Israelis Fighting for their Lives — From Israel, an attempt to correct some of the misperceptions that Americans have about the war. - Constructive Communication
How to Disagree Better — From the Atlantic, links to three articles outlining ways in which we can discuss controversial issues more constructively. - Israel / Hamas War
Memo to the 'Experts': Stop Comparing Israel's War in Gaza to Anything. It Has No Precedent — A comparison of the war in Gaza with other "similar" military campaigns and an argument that this war is, in many important respects, unprecedented in human history. - Israel / Hamas War
'Not just for invading Galilee': Hezbollah's monstrous tunnel network — A description of Hezbollah's much more formidable military capabilities in southern Lebanon (and a preview of what could be a much more devastating war).
Colleague Activities
Highlighting things that our conflict and peacebuilding colleagues are doing that contribute to efforts to address the hyper-polarization problem.
- Saving Democracy
What's the end game of a New Way in our politics? — Our task is to find and grow a new generation and community of leaders who seek the most good for the most people in the most expansive and gracious ways we can imagine. - The Scale and Complexity Problem
Evolving Strategy In Complexity — For organizations which are overwhelmed, over-processing, and still need a plan to win, 11 ideas of how to develop an approach that makes sense. - Interstate War
Search for Common Ground & United Nations Announce an Innovative Partnership for Humanitarian Diplomacy — This partnership will enable the UN and Search to save lives and address the conflict drivers that create crises in the first place. The hope is this partnership will serve as a model for other such efforts. - The Hyper-Polarization Threat
Toxic polarization fractures our relationships — even with our political peers — The contempt arising from toxic polarization makes us less able to do the basic work of politics. There is an urgent need to see value in engaging in civil, respectful ways, even with people we see as wrong. - Psychological Complexity
Beliefs and Mindsets — Beliefs are called mindsets when they filter how we make sense of the world and ourselves. Mindsets act on our choice of goals and goal-pursuit behaviors, which significantly affect our lives. - Large-Scale Violence
Ten Take-Aways on Russia’s War and Five Ideas for the Future of Ukraine and Beyond — To end suffering and destruction, it is necessary to think about pathways to peace. Here are the ten key results of the war and five ideas for a possible way out. - Developing a Unifying Vision
The Plurality Institute — The Plurality Institute is building an ecosystem to push boundaries to reimagine collaborative frameworks. They serve as a hub for academics, industry researchers, practitioners, and leaders from both civil and governmental sectors.
Beyond Intractability in Context
From around the web, more insight into the nature of our conflict problems, limits of business-as-usual thinking, and things people are doing to try to make things better.
- US Election
The Political Failure of Bidenomics — A must-read article that explains why Biden's quite successful efforts to create economic opportunities for the working class is not translating into political support. - Saving Democracy
Apathy Loses -- If reasonable people disengage from politics, the zealots win. — An appeal for moderates who can see both sides of today's complex issues to get more evolved in politics. Otherwise, our future will be determined by true believers who see no value in competing views. - Race / Anti-Racism
Coleman Hughes wants a colorblind America. So should we. — An overview of the new book that offers what we see as a much more effective and much less divisive way of addressing racism and other forms of oppression. - Developing a Unifying Vision
The Meaning of the Super Bowl ‘He Gets Us’ Ad — An exploration of the complex religious questions raised by the controversial Super Bowl ad and the importance of caring for the people with whom one disagrees. - Israel / Hamas War
This Muslim Israeli Woman Is the Hope of the Middle East — A moving interview with a prominent Israeli Arab newscaster describing what it's like to live on the boundary between two warring cultures. - Communication Complexity
A Simple Theory for Why the Internet Is So Conspiratorial — Food for thought for those trying to understand the role that the Internet is playing in promoting distrust and hatred. - Superpower Conflict
America's soft power isn't the problem — A reminder that, in a world of increasingly aggressive and ruthless geopolitical actors, freedom, peace, and security depends upon much neglected hard power (as well as soft power). - Escalation Spiral
The Over-the-Top Epidemic — An examination of the tendency of so many people in so many different contexts to act in extreme ways. - The Hyper-Polarization Threat
Chaos at the End of History — From a broad historical perspective, a look at the origins of today's ever present hyper-polarization. - US Election
How Democrats Could Disqualify Trump If the Supreme Court Doesn’t — A worrying article about how Supreme Court inaction could conceivably lead Democrats to refuse to certify a Trump victory on January 6. - Authoritarianism
On Putin's Reign Of Terror — For a time when increasing numbers of people are starting to view Putin's Russia in more favorable ways, the short history of his increasingly brutal brand of authoritarianism. - Nihilists
The Americans Who Need Chaos — An essay on political nihilism and the tendency of so many people to focus their attention on demonstrating to one another that their society is corrupt, dysfunctional, and worthless. - Psychological Complexity
Metaphors make the world — A thought-provoking exploration of the role that metaphors play in helping us make sense of the world in which we live. - US Election
The Strongest Case Against Donald Trump — An observation that, on both the left and the right, President Trump seems remarkably adept at bringing out the darker side of our political personalities. - Developing a Unifying Vision
The four kinds of truth America needs to pursue reconciliation — An older article offering still valuable insights for those trying to figure out how it might be possible to reconcile the United States' deeply divided society. - Social Complexity
Ricardo Hausmann on How Economies Grow — Positive-sum conflicts (in which the "pie" is constantly expanding) are much less divisive. This essay examines the economic growth that creates such situations. - Israel / Hamas War
When I Was a Hostage — From the Syrian civil war, a first-person account of what it's like to be captured and held hostage by Islamic terrorists. - Saving Democracy
The Cure for What Ails Our Democracy — From David Brooks, an insightful look at the virtues of pluralism and the dangers of monism -- the belief that one possesses the one true answer and that anyone who disagrees is evil. - Race / Anti-Racism
This is not a good way to fight racism in America — A quite thoughtful essay on Google's new Gemini AI engine, its initial pro-diversity bias, and the dangers of thinking that there is a quick and easy solution to racism. - Psychological Complexity
Security- what is it? — Security is one of the fundamental human needs that has to be met for peacebuilding to be successful. This essay explores the concept. - Climate Change
The Climate Fix Book Club, Chapter 9 & Full Book — Links to a thoughtful series of articles (and an online book) that try to get beyond climate hysteria and focus on what, exactly, the science is telling us about how to most effectively address the problem.
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