Making Peace Visible

NEW PODCAST EPISODE | Have we lost the moral common ground? When you look at online reactions to major events or watch news footage of political rallies, you might conclude that people on the political Left have a completely different moral compass — or sense of right and wrong — from people on the political Right. But Kurt Gray, a social psychologist who studies morality and politics, says that’s not true. The main thesis behind Gray’s work at the Deepest Beliefs Lab at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and his new book "Outraged: Why We Fight About Morality and Politics, and How to Find Common Ground" — is that humans share a sense of morality based on fear of harm, the product of our evolutionary heritage. However, perceptions of who is vulnerable to harm and how they should be defended differs widely across the divide. LISTEN NOW: https://lnkd.in/e54_EU8d

A powerful podcast series that meets the moment from our friends at Beyond Conflict.

NEW PODCAST EPISODE | In Ukraine, war reporting that feels personal As analysts and reporters speculate over Ukraine’s fate under a second Trump administration, photographer Anastasia Taylor-Lind and writer Alisa Sopova offer a more nuanced way of covering the Ukraine-Russia War. Taylor-Lind and Sopova create intimate, accessible portraits of Ukrainian civilians living close to the frontlines of the Russian invasion. Sometimes their subjects are picnicking in a park or tending a garden. Other times, they’re repairing a ceiling damaged by shelling or waiting for departure on an evacuation train. The duo have been working together in Ukraine since the Maidan Revolution, also known as the “Revolution of Dignity” in 2014. And over the years, they’ve returned to visit the same families, witnessing how the war touches men, women, and children over time. LISTEN NOW: https://lnkd.in/eAqgBksx Image: Olena Sheremet bringing flowers to lay in memory of a protestor, Anastasia Taylor-Lind, 2014.

NEW PODCAST EPISODE | In America, a braver way to talk about politics, with Monica Guzman In the 2024 election, it was clearer than ever that Americans are “watching different movies,” as political analyst Van Jones put it — that we’re living inside different narratives not of our own making. We also saw both presidential and VP candidates appearing on podcasts in record number as a way to appeal to younger voters. As a podcaster, journalist, and Senior Fellow for Public Practice at Braver Angels, a nonprofit working to depolarize America, guest Monica Guzman is an ideal voice to help us make sense of this election season and provide some helpful perspective. On her podcast A Braver Way, Guzmán is joined by guests from across the political spectrum to unearth insights, tools, and messy real-life stories that can guide listeners over the divide in their everyday lives. She says that Americans are being hurt by misinformation not only about facts, but also “misinformation about what’s in the hearts of other people.” On this episode you’ll hear a few clips from A Braver Way, including from a conversation that Guzmán — a political "blue" — recorded with her parents who voted for Donald Trump. If your family is politically divided, you’ll definitely want to listen to this in time for Thanksgiving! LISTEN NOW: https://lnkd.in/eg9Bc4H9

NEW PODCAST EPISODE | Tired of polarization? Time to detox, with Peter T. Coleman If you’re reading this post, you’re probably concerned by the level of polarization we’re seeing in societies around the world. We can point fingers at social media, the news media, political parties, fear mongering leaders, poor education, broken political systems… the list is long. The divides can seem so vast, the problems so huge. It’s easy to retreat into a huddle with people who see the world the same way you do. But our guest for this episode, Columbia University psychology and education professor and author Peter T. Coleman, says there are things each of us can do to help heal these societal wounds. And he says the press and media can play an important role in decreasing polarization. In his book, "The Way Out: How to Overcome Toxic Polarization," Coleman outlines evidence-based practices that you can do on your own — or with a group — to help re-calibrate assumptions, and re-create bonds with people you disagree with. LISTEN NOW: https://lnkd.in/eMp8HJzx

"Our country has taken a hard Right turn — what some would say is a course correction after the policies of the Obama and Biden Administrations. I also see this change driven by the profound hardships and anxieties felt by so many in a society riven by inequality, isolation, polarization, and the rapid rise of tech and AI." - Peter T. Coleman, conflict resolution expert and professor of psychology and education Teachers College, Columbia University https://lnkd.in/eBwGxCer However, we don't need to let these forces rule our lives. Learn from Peter how to "detox" from polarization and diversify your information diet in our latest podcast episode.

NEW PODCAST EPISODE | Rethinking international peacebuilding in Muslim countries, with Qamar Huda A veteran peacebuilder and scholar, Qamar-ul Huda knows the world of peacebuilding intimately, and offers a critique from the inside. Listen now: https://lnkd.in/gvzCG85R Qamar-ul Huda has worked for major players like the United States Institute of Peace and the United Nations Development Program. He served in the Obama Administration as Senior Policy Advisor to Secretary of State John Kerry, and is now a professor of International Affairs at the United States Naval Academy. He is also the author of a new book, "Reenvisioning Peacebuilding and Conflict Resolution in Islam," published in April 2024. In this conversation, Huda shares a refreshingly positive perspective on the possibility of peace in Islamic countries, rooted in his deep understanding of Islamic religion and cultures. In his book, he reflects on some of the mistakes made in the early years of the War on Terror, by the US government, and other international actors. He says many of these mistakes were rooted in seeing peacebuilding as a secular project, which failed to acknowledge the conflict resolution tools and ethics that exist in Islamic tradition. And he says this thinking continues to influence foreign policy to this day. He also highlights more constructive examples of conflict resolution in the Muslim world.

NEW PODCAST EPISODE | Cross-border environmentalism in the Middle East, with David Lehrer On a small desert campus, students from Israel, Palestine, Jordan, and other parts of the Middle East take classes in ecology, earth sciences and renewable energy. They also debate the hot button issues: history, politics, religion, war, occupation, terrorism, while learning to listen actively, and living together amidst contradicting narratives. Our guest David Lehrer is Director of International Development at the The Arava Institute for Environmental Studies, based at Kibbutz Keturah in Israel. He teaches there, and also heads up Arava's action arm, working with Palestinian partners to bring clean water, sanitation, and eco-friendly temporary housing to displaced people in Gaza — among other projects. Learning to care for a shared environment in the region, providing essential infrastructure in wartime, and working together across divides are usually treated as a footnote in the media, David says. But he hopes that as Arava continues to work with Palestinian partners in the face of a war with no end in sight, peacebuilding becomes news. LISTEN NOW: https://lnkd.in/edGTrWcG

NEW PODCAST EPISODE | Amidst war, a Palestinian nonviolence movement grows, with Ali Abu Awwad Since 2002, Ali Abu Awwad has been working as a peacebuilder, giving talks across Israel, Palestine, and the world. His current work is leading Taghyeer, a Palestinian movement "to take nonviolent responsibility for self-development and forging a path to end occupation." Awwad says he founded Taghyeer to focus on the "homework" needed to lay the foundation for true Palestinian self-governance and an end to Israeli military occupation. Awwad is hard to summarize. He grew up with a mother in the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), and served jail time for his role in the resistance during the First Palestinian Intifada. Ironically, it was in an Israeli prison that Awwad learned the power of nonviolence when he and his mother went on hunger strike to be allowed to see each other. After his brother was killed by Israeli soldiers, his family met with a group of bereaved Jewish parents — a transformational encounter for Awwad. Witnessing the shared humanity of Palestinian and Israeli mourners, he says, "turned his world upside down." In this conversation, Awwad gives us an intimate view of his own inner transformation and an inside look at Palestinian identity and self-determination. Listen to the episode: https://lnkd.in/eG87hXKn Alliance for Middle East Peace - ALLMEP

NEW PODCAST EPISODE | How do we make peacebuilding mainstream? Veteran mediator Mark Gerzon says it's time to get practical about peace. Most people feel that peacebuilding – resolving conflicts and decreasing violence –  is a positive thing. But as we've said many times on this podcast, peacebuilding is virtually invisible in the world. Our latest guest, veteran mediator and peacebuilder Mark Gerzon, says to strengthen peace and reconciliation efforts, we need to make peacebuilding mainstream. And to do that, the reasons behind the practice need to be practical and more accessible to both the public and to donors. He says the messaging we've been using for years, grounded in a moral imperative for peace, isn't working. And today, he’s working in the United States to train leaders to work across the partisan divide. Listen to the full episode: https://lnkd.in/eP6GaSpA Gerzon has served as advisor to the UN Development Program and multinational corporations.  He is president of the Mediators Foundation, an incubator for social action projects that bridge divides around the world, and has authored several books on the topic of polarization and reconciliation.