When we’re in conflict, there are many decisions to be made during and after it is over. Even when we anticipate dissension, there are decisions to make about how to effectively engage in the interaction. Our ability to make any sort of decision about conflictual  matters and the relationship dynamic decrease the more upset we become. For various reasons in the heat of the moment we often seem to think it is necessary to do or say something, rather than taking a ‘time-out’ to decide the…

• President Karzai of Afghanistan confronted the Pakistani leadership on Thursday during a visit to Islamabad, accusing Pakistani officials of harbouring the Taliban; he also was quoted as saying there were secret contacts between the US, Afghan governments and the Taliban, and that the…

If we believe in self-determination, shouldn't we honor our clients' requests for advice?  I mean, they asked for it - they determined themselves that they wanted it?Read the whole article here.

• The West African Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP) has just launched a new book on election management in West Africa.
• The African Union Chairman announced on Saturday he will visit some of the continent’s conflict areas including Sudan, South Sudan, Mali and Libya for…

Peace Core Values…

I teach a course at New York University's Center for Global Affairs called "How to Build Your Own NGO."  My aim is to provide students with practical, nuts and bolts skills they'll use in the non-profit sector, to augment their wingnut and screws theoretical learning. (I wrote more about…

• TRANSCEND Peace University has opened its online courses in peace and conflict studies for the upcoming spring semester. TRANSCEND was founded by Dr. Johan Galtung, widely known as the father of peace studies.
• NATO announced on Wednesday that it will buy five US-made unmanned drone aircraft capable of…

We aren’t usually aware of what peoples’ ‘hot buttons’ are except perhaps those of our family and friends and those we come to know well such as colleagues and co-workers. Even so, we didn’t always know what provoked them. New friends, colleagues and others start with a clean slate, too. It seems ‘hot buttons’ are things we often realize the hard way – through trial and error.

When we are provoked by something others say or do or even what they don’t say or do, many of us let…

• On Friday, France and Britainagreed to jointly work to develop next-generation unmanned drones as part of their military cooperation.
• The Guardian ran a set of interesting articles detailing Scotland Yard’s…

• A new report in the Atlantic this week suggests that a barely perceptible shift occurred in recent months that make the possibility of Israel attacking Iran’s nuclear sites more possible, as the benefits outweigh the costs. NBC reported last week…

I am excited to announce that I have been selected to present a poster at the Engaging Peace Conference at Arcadia University in March. Below is the proposal I submitted.

• The Pentagon in the United States announced their plans on Thursday to change rules in the armed forces to open up more than 14,000 positions for women to serve as frontline medics, helicopter pilots and intelligence analysts, bringing them closer…

When emotions prevail during interpersonal conflict, many of us cannot easily think ahead to what we want as an outcome. If we acknowledge that possibility, we may do some preparatory work before we initiate a potentially conflictual discussion or get caught up in the middle of one. If we engage in some preliminary reflections, our actions and words will more likely be aligned with our objective. Otherwise, the likelihood of chaotic thinking and feelings is high and we end up conducting…

• A criminal court on the island nation of the Maldives issued an arrest warrant for the first democratically-elected President, Mohammed Nasheed, who awaited arrest in his home on Thursday, following last week’s alleged coup attempt. The ousted President…

• The UN and Interpol discussedtransnational organized crime in West Africa, including illicit drug trafficking and the proliferation of illegal arms, as well maritime piracy in Lyon, France on Monday.
• An anti-homosexuality bill is being once again resurrected by the Parliament in Uganda with…

• The UN conference on trade and development (UNCTAD) secretary-general published a report on Tuesday that called for fundamental reform of the global financial system that would be of benefit to the global poor. The report will act as the theme for the UNCTAD XIII conference in Doha, Qatar in April.
• An Online Dispute Resolution…

The founder of humanistic psychology, Carl Rogers, believed that empathy, genuineness, and unconditional positive regard were necessary and sufficient to effectuate positive change in his clients. It was not necessary, and probably not even helpful, as he saw it, for the therapist to advise the client what to do next. Dorothy Della Noce, in her chapter "The Case for Transformation: A Review of Theoretical and Empirical Support" in…

Here's a guest post from my friend and peacebuilding agent provocateur Ashok Panikkar, Executive Director of the Indian conflict resolution organization Meta-Culture.  I'm not sure I agree with everything he says below. But he is quite persuasive...even moreso in person, where he'll…