Beyond Intractability in Context Blog
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Posts ordered from most recent to earliest.
- A blog from Richard Rubenstein, a professor of Conflict Resolution at the Carter School. Most recently Rich has focused on the quest for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine. -- Rich Rubenstein's Blog -- Sep 10
- For 9/11, a time to reflect on what we should have learned from the war on terror and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. How can we minimize such tragedies in the future? -- Petraeus: Our Lack of Commitment in Afghanistan -- Sep 10
- Also, for 9/11 another view on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq -- one that provides an important counterpoint to the views of the leadership. -- Don’t Believe the Generals -- Sep 10
- There is something very wrong with the political system (and a political party) that simultaneously tries to get Trump/MAGA candidates nominated and then demonizes them as a threat to democracy. -- Does Biden Really Believe We Are in a Crisis of Democracy? -- Sep 10
- A hopeful development that spans the political divide, unions are becoming more effective at protecting the interests of working class citizens. -- Unions are on a roll. And they unite a divided nation. -- Sep 10
- Abandoning political persuasion in favor of "mobilize the base" strategies forces political leaders to rely on fear and hate mongering strategies that further drive the escalation spiral. -- Turnout Myths Are the Democrats' Drug of Choice -- Sep 10
- A look at the tough challenges associated with building a free society that fairly and wisely accommodates a diverse array of cultures, values, and perceptions of objective truth. -- How Diverse Should Viewpoint Diversity Be? -- Sep 09
- A summary of the latest social science research on the intersection between social media use and hyper-polarization. -- We’re Staring at Our Phones, Full of Rage for ‘the Other Side’ -- Sep 08
- Another "if it exist it must be possible" story --- this one focuses on the especially incendiary topic of gun control. -- How Bipartisan Gun-Control Talks Actually Succeeded -- Sep 07
- A look at the terrible consequences that result when efforts to make power-with democratic societies fail and authoritarians take over. -- ‘We exist but it is not a life’: Afghan women face bleak prospects under Taliban -- Sep 06
- As we contemplate strategies for promoting constructive social change, it's worth looking to past successes for guidance. -- How the gay rights movement found such stunning success -- Sep 06
- Much of hyperpolarization is attributable to vulnerabilities inherent in the structure of modern, Internet-based information systems which somehow need to be overcome. -- How the Internet Became a Doom Loop -- Sep 05
- A profile of the complex nature of one of the many different types of bad-faith actors who are making it so much harder for democracy to succeed. -- American Rasputin -- Sep 05
- A policy dialogue between carbon pricing advocates and environmental justice activists about how to advance climate policy in ways that better include the concerns of vulnerable communities. -- Transfroming the Conversation on Carbon Pricing USA -- Sep 05
- An enlightening profile of one of the giants in the struggle against racism, James Baldwin – a man with much to teach us as we continue to struggle with age-old problems. -- James Baldwin's Radicalism -- Aug 29
- An exploration of one of the most effective strategies for promoting confusion and undermining the sensible analyses of social problems -- "whataboutism." -- Whataboutism -- Aug 28
- An explanation, with important implications for criminal justice reform, of the disconnect between the United States' mass incarceration policies and its inability to fight crime. -- Still under-policed and over-imprisoned -- Aug 28
- An exploration of the limits of binary thinking on race and the advantages of a much more complex and nuanced exploration of our diversity -- an approach that can help diffuse a lot of tension. -- The Racial Binary Is Inadequate -- Aug 25
- An account of somebody who did something that we all need to do more -– really listen to and try to understand the people with whom we disagree. -- I spent years hating activists. Then I tried listening to them -- Aug 25
- Yet another example of what happens in politics when the need to defeat the other side becomes more important than building a democracy in which we would all like to live. -- See the ads Democrats are funding to boost far-right Republicans -- Aug 24
- From Francis Fukuyama an argument that while grassroots activism and electoral reform are important, what the US really needs is a major political realignment. -- Paths to Depolarization -- Aug 23
- A much more sophisticated, well documented, and accurate look at the nature of the gender divide and the role that it plays in the larger societal conflict. -- How You Feel About Gender Roles Can Tell Us How You’ll Vote -- Aug 22
- A provocative essay on the nature of complex biological and social systems, the importance of diversity, and threats to that diversity. -- Keeping our options open -- Frantic human activity has reduced both cultural and biological diversity. Now we must protect the dwindling alt -- Aug 21
- A truly radical idea -- instead of devoting all of your energy to defeating a threatening adversary try acting in ways that lead them to be less threatening and better neighbors and citizens. -- Making the other side better -- Aug 21
- A readable case study of the complexities of contemporary policymaking and an explanation of why we can't seem to fix much of anything. -- There Has to Be a Better Way to Run the Government -- Jul 14
