Newsletter #237 — May 20, 2024
Reader Suggested Links
Highlighting links suggested by our readers. Please send us links to things that you find useful.
- Class Inequity
Want to help Trump? Keep up the ‘White rural rage’ stereotyping. — A timely warning for opponents of former President Trump, continuing to refer to his supporters in demeaning and dismissive ways drives the hyper-polarization spiral and strengthens his candidacy. - Terror
Power to the People: How Open Technological Innovation Is Arming Tomorrow’s Terrorists — Something more to worry about, the many ways in which new technologies could be used by terrorists to mount more destructive and disruptive attacks. - Non-Violence
Polls and Protests — As we contemplate the latest wave of student protests, a look back in this 1971 analysis of the anti-Vietnam protests by prominent sociologist Seymour Martin Lipsett. - Israel / Hamas War
Back to Basics in the Middle East — Four general principles that, if followed, would do much to improve chances of a positive outcome to the current Mideast crisis (and promote good democratic governance, more generally). - Culture and Religion
God™: an ageing product outperforms expectations — A thought provoking look at religion from an economics perspective. - Israel / Hamas War
How Hamas criticism vanished in The New York Times — A statistical analysis of the New York Times coverage of the Israeli / Hamas war — an analysis that demonstrates the success of Hamas' public relations strategy. - Israel / Hamas War
The Great Misinterpretation: How Palestinians View Israel — A first-rate lecture that takes a long, historical look at the origins of Israeli/Palestinian antipathy -- a look that clarifies the complex origins of the contemporary conflict.
Colleague Activities
Highlighting things that our conflict and peacebuilding colleagues are doing that contribute to efforts to address the hyper-polarization problem.
- Constructive Communication
Essential Partners' Guide to Conversations Across the Partisan Divide — Drawing on four decades of real-world experience and rigorous research, this guide will equip you to address polarization in your own context. - Civic Education
Civics, Democracy, and Civic Learning Week (With Elizabeth Clay Roy and Abbie Kaplan) — What does civics education have to do with our moment of democratic crisis? How do we create citizens with a sense of agency over society? This video discusses these issues. - Saving Democracy
Reformation Series – Cover Down: A Conversation with Dr. Richard Barton – Unite America — A discussion about non-partisan primaries and the benefits they bring to real world issues and the lives of citizens. - Constructive Communication
MWEG's Media Literacy Toolkit — A collection of materials from MWEG (Mormon Women for Ethical Government) on news consumption, misinformation, bias, conspiracy theories, propaganda, and more. - Superpower Conflict
Agonizing over Europe’s Defence: Some Narratives are Getting Ahead of the Facts — Russia’s war against Ukraine should have been a stop sign for nationally-oriented security and defence policies in Europe. But the opposite is the case. - US Election
How religious communities are working to ensure a free & fair election — To protect democracy you have to bring together a broad coalition of people who might have major disagreements on politics and policy, but who are willing to come together to prioritize its defense. A discussion with Emma Addams of Mormon Women for Ethical Government. - Saving Democracy
Perceptions of Democracy — People across the globe lack confidence in political institutions and are dissatisfied with their governments. Citizens generally are more skeptical, however, than are experts. - Violence
"Civil War" and Its Place in Civil Discourse — Kristina Becvar argues that Alex Garland's film "Civil War" is a conversation starter, designed to create a "deep, instinctive sense of aversion…at what war within our country's borders would look like. - Communication Complexity
If Journalists Don't Believe in Objectivity, What Do They Believe in? – BCB #96 — Jonathan Stray observes that "Audiences are still into it, but three years of data shows that journalists mostly aren't." - Runaway Escalation
How Divided Are We? — This article confirms some of the findings that Americans are less divided than we think, but on some issues, such as the Second Amendment, divisions are still stark. - Civil Society
PACE survey shows the path to civic unity — A report on the Civic Language Perceptions Project showing how civic language unites, divides, and motivates American voters. - Culture and Religion
Three Interfaith Organizations Helping Communities Navigate Their Differences – BCB #99 — There’s no question that religion plays a part in Americans’ divisions. But it can also help bridge them, as this story illustrates. - Psychological Complexity
How Contempt Destroys Democracy — A new book by Zachary Elwood argues that democracy falls apart when people grow to hate and fear the “other side” so much that beating them takes precedence over everything else--just what we are doing now. - Climate Change
Conservative Environmentalist Benji Backer Talks Polarization and the Pressures to Conform — A conversation with the author of a new book The Conservative Environmentalist about the pressures to align with "our team" and how liberals and conservatives are amplifying division on climate.
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.
- Authoritarianism
The Authoritarians Have the Momentum — A must-read analysis explaining why authoritarians are enjoying so much success in their struggle against liberal democracies (and what might be done about it). - Social Complexity
The Case for Hope — From Nicholas Kristof, a timely reminder that, amidst all of our current difficulties, there are substantial reasons to be hopeful and optimistic. - Social Complexity
‘The Seeds Had Been Planted. Trump Didn’t Do It Himself.’ — An examination of the longer-term origins of the authoritarian trend in US politics that President Trump now embodies. - US Election
How to make a difference in the 2024 election — From Matthew Yglesias, a list of things that those wanting to make a positive contribution in the coming election year might consider. - Saving Democracy
Want to help renovate American democracy? Welcome to Democracy, Refreshed. — From the Washington Post, the chance to sign up for free online course highlighting many of the things that can be done to improve US democracy. - Developing a Unifying Vision
Can a 50-Year-Old Idea Save Democracy? — A review and summary of an important new book highlighting Rawl's vision for a society in which we would all like to live -- one that is both fair and free. - Climate Change
When the Only Problem Was Climate Change — A nostalgic look back to the time when we thought the world's only big, remaining problem was climate change. Now, sadly, we know (or should know) better. - Superpower Conflict
Fareed Zakaria’s Speed Date With the Liberal World Order — For an era in which so many people want to be "change agents" and, often, proponents of revolution, a 400-year retrospective on what past revolutions have produced. - Psychological Complexity
Thoughts on Dopamine Culture — A thought-provoking exploration of both the utility and the downsides of humanity's shift toward shorter attention spans with ever quicker task switching and constant multitasking. - COVID-19
As Bird Flu Looms, the Lessons of Past Pandemics Take On New Urgency — As we still struggle to decide what lessons we should learn from society's contentious COVID response, news that we may soon have to apply those lessons. - Interstate War
Russian trolls target U.S. support for Ukraine, Kremlin documents show — News from another, often neglected, front in the Ukrainian war — the clandestine information battle being fought in the West,'s complex media environment. - Authoritarianism
What My Soviet Life Taught Me About Censorship — From someone who lived through a life of censorship in the former Soviet Union, reflections on the kind of censorship now being promoted in Western democracies. - Israel / Hamas War
Paging Senator Schumer … — Amid the rising tide of antisemitism and calls to do something about it, a legal analysis of how this kind of prejudice falls through the cracks in our existing legal structure. - Israel / Hamas War
Israel’s war has killed 31 members of my family, yet it’s vital to speak out against Hamas — From someone who has suffered immensely from the ongoing tragedy in Gaza, a plea to recognize and address Hamas' role in the conflict. - Israel / Hamas War
Secret Hamas Files Show How It Spied on Everyday Palestinians — Another window into Hamas's authoritarian power and its ability to take their citizens into a ruinous war. - Israel / Hamas War
A Likud MK admits, "the IDF has failed" and a public intellectual asks "how will we know when it's time to leave? — A look at the hard questions Israelis are asking themselves as the decisive defeat of Hamas seems ever more distant. - Israel / Hamas War
Hamas Shift to Guerrilla Tactics Raises Specter of Forever War for Israel — A disturbing look at what the next phase of the Israeli/Hamas war might look like -- a phase that will require totally different tactics. - Interstate War
Meet Necessities Like Necessities — Despite its somewhat confusing title, this essay makes critically important points about the importance of making the sacrifices necessary to combat true threats. - Superpower Conflict
The End of the World as We Know It — A review of an important new book on the danger posed by nuclear weapons and an appeal to put this threat at the top of our priority list. - Communication Complexity
All Is Not Quiet In the Library Catalogs — News that progressive political ideas are being used to reshape and distort the way in which we catalog and access the collective knowledge of humanity. - Communication Complexity
Trump likes the Oxford comma? That’s stunning, strange and disorienting. — A surprising window into the sophisticated way in which President Trump cultivates his unsophisticated image. - Disinformation
Flood of Fake Science Forces Multiple Journal Closures — A disturbing update on the surprisingly widespread incidence of scientific malpractice -- something that a society that depends upon technical expertise can't tolerate. - Superpower Conflict
What Trump Could Do in Foreign Policy Might Surprise the World — For a time when the left talks about a possible Trump Presidency in almost exclusively apocalyptic terms, a more hopeful analysis of what a Trump foreign policy might actually entail. - Climate Change
What The Media Won’t Tell You About The Energy Transition — A statistical look at just how badly the global energy transition is going — an analysis that highlights the need to find cleaner ways of powering the developed world. - Class Inequity
The Billionaires Who Are Threatening Democracy — In his new book, the historian Quinn Slobodian writes about the ideologues who believe that society should prioritize capital, not people. - Psychological Complexity
I Was a Republican Partisan. It Altered the Way I Saw the World. — A personal account of the dangerous ways in which partisanship can cloud and distort one's view of the world and potential countermeasures. - Class Inequity
World’s Biggest Construction Project Gets a Reality Check — News about an astonishingly ambitious Saudi effort to build 105 mile long skyscraper taller than the Empire State building (and an example of the absurdities of concentrated wealth). - Developing a Unifying Vision
How to Create a Society That Prizes Decency — From David Brooks, an essay exploring practical things that we can do to cultivate basic decency -- a precondition for a democracy that works.
Please Contribute Your Ideas To This Discussion!
In order to prevent bots, spammers, and other malicious content, we are asking contributors to send their contributions to us directly. If your idea is short, with simple formatting, you can put it directly in the contact box. However, the contact form does not allow attachments. So if you are contributing a longer article, with formatting beyond simple paragraphs, just send us a note using the contact box, and we'll respond via an email to which you can reply with your attachment. This is a bit of a hassle, we know, but it has kept our site (and our inbox) clean. And if you are wondering, we do publish essays that disagree with or are critical of us. We want a robust exchange of views.
About the MBI Newsletters
Once a week or so, we, the BI Directors, share some thoughts, along with new posts from the Hyper-polarization Blog and and useful links from other sources. We used to put this all together in one newsletter which went out once or twice a week. We are now experimenting with breaking the Newsletter up into several shorter newsletters. Each Newsletter will be posted on BI, and sent out by email through Substack to subscribers. You can sign up to receive your copy here and find the latest newsletter here or on our BI Newsletter page, which also provides access to all the past newsletters, going back to 2017.
NOTE! If you signed up for this Newsletter and don't see it in your inbox, it might be going to one of your other emails folder (such as promotions, social, or spam). Check there or search for beyondintractability@substack.com and if you still can't find it, first go to our Substack help page, and if that doesn't help, please contact us.
If you like what you read here, please ....
