Newsletter #146 — August 13, 2023
Colleague Activities
Highlighting things that our conflict and peacebuilding colleagues are doing that contribute to efforts to address the hyper-polarization problem.
- Developing a Unifying Vision
New Pluralists — The new pluralists are committed to healing our divisions by helping Americans recognize our shared humanity, embrace our differences, and solve challenges together. - Society-Wide Conflict
Conflict Analysis: A Tutorial — An excellent primer on how to do a comprehensive conflict analysis for people working in complex conflict situations, journalists reporting on complex conflicts, or anyone wanting to understand a conflict better. - Authoritarianism
The Antidote to Authoritarianism — Ordinary people, organized effectively, have the power to drive social change upwards to create the conditions for justice, equity, and freedom. 27 leaders reflect on how to do this now. - System Thinking Strategies
The Case for Expanding the Landscape of Democracy Work — A long-term, holistic vision of how democracy could evolve in the US and the role that organizers could play in that work. - The Hyper-Polarization Threat
First Principles: The Need for Greater Consensus on the Fundamentals of Polarisation — A discussion of the definition of polarization, why it is so important, and how it might be addressed, including, perhaps by creating an academic "field" of polarization. - Saving Democracy
Defending and Strengthening Diverse Democracies — Report of an extensive literature review and interviews highlighting drivers of democratic regression and opportunities to strengthen democracy in Brazil, India, South Africa and the U.S. - Authoritarianism
America needs a cross-national approach to counter authoritarianism — An article describing how authoritarianism can be countered by promoting free, fair and trusted elections, combating mis- and dis-information, and cultivating informed and engaged voters.
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.
- Large-Scale Violence
India Is on the Brink — From India, a story about how hyper-polarized politics has inflamed social tensions to the point where true authoritarian rule and large-scale violence are imminent. (This is what we are trying to prevent and reverse). - Cancel Culture
The Culture of Transgression — An informed and thoughtful critique of the progressive, Democratic elite that does much to explain the intensity and strength of the populist opposition. Something everyone ought to read. - Race / Anti-Racism
Ditching Diversity Myths — For a time in which "diversity" enjoys so much social (and legal) prominence, a thought-provoking essay about what the term means and the degree to which it ought to be cultivated. - Left / Right Conflict
Let’s Have a Face-Off on Trump’s Indictment — A readable analysis (with lots of links) of the legal and political complexities of President Trump's upcoming trial. - Psychological Complexity
Hey, America, Grow Up! — A retrospective look at how social psychological changes that have occurred in Western societies over the last several decades have made our problems so much more intractable. - Effective Problem-Solving
A fiscal crisis awaits. Here’s a provocative idea for heading it off. — A realistic strategy, with a proven track record, for grappling with the kind of tough public policy problems that require substantial public sacrifice. - Interstate War
Ukraine’s Sea Drones Alter Balance of Power in Black Sea — In times of war, military technology advances very quickly with profound implications for the strategic balance. Ukraine is no exception. - Constructive Communication
The Seven Social-Media Commandments — Constructive steps that we can all take to limit the adverse impacts that the various social media platforms so often have on our lives. - Interstate War
Slow counteroffensive darkens mood in Ukraine — News that the dream of a decisive victory in Ukraine is fading and that we may be entering into a protracted "hurting stalemate" (a period where prospects for a negotiated end of the fighting increase). - Psychological Complexity
Populism thrives because people are mad, and also because they’re sad — A report on a new analysis of the complex sociopolitical factors underlying right-leaning populism in the US. - Developing a Unifying Vision
A Path to Civic Pluralism — An insightful summary of the philosophic foundation of pluralistic democracy – an essential component of any effort to build a diverse society that really works. - Left / Right Conflict
The myth of asymmetric polarization — A challenge to the comforting illusion that our hyper-polarization crisis is being driven solely by right-wing populists and that those on the left are merely innocent victims. - Left / Right Conflict
Democrats and Republicans aren’t divided by gender, they’re divided by marriage — Stunning and surprising statistics about the decisive role that unmarried women play in the Democratic coalition. (All other marital groups tilt toward Republicans!) - Race / Anti-Racism
One Sentence Does Not Define a Curriculum — An attempt to get beyond the inflammatory focus on a single passage and understand more completely how the Florida curriculum would actually cover slavery.
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 ....