JAMS, the largest provider of mediation and arbitration services worldwide, today announced it has relocated and expanded its Resolution Center in Las Vegas. The new location is nearly triple the size of the former office with 15,000 square feet and features expansive views of the Las Vegas strip.

The move greatly expands JAMS presence in Las Vegas and signals its commitment to the legal market in the state and region. It also addresses the need for more space as the number…

Let’s face it, we sometimes spend needless time in blame mode about our interpersonal disputes. Just think of all the energy we put out! I’m not always sure what compels blame. Are we trying to take attention away from our wrong-doing? Are we thinking it will make things better if we blame? Or, that we will feel better? Do we want to make things worse? Blaming can be impulsive and we don’t always realize that we have choices about how we react. That is, unless we are getting something out of…

• The EU is set to restrict the sale of the main active substances needed for lethal injections to the United States. By Friday, the export of sodium thiopental will only be possible with special permission.
• French President Sarkozy said that there are now clearly “two Europes”…

New data allows for unique conflict research

Which factors increase the risk for armed conflict and war? What circumstances make conflict resolution more likely to be successful? If work for peace is to bear fruit; these questions needs to be answered. Today, the Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP) releases a new dataset which opens up new possibilities for the study of armed conflict. Using these data, useful findings relating to climate…

• The Atlantic published an article highlighting the 10 biggest Middle East Stories of 2011.
• American Presidential candidate Newt Gingrich again spoke out against Palestine this week,…

Hello all! Hope all is well!

I would like to appeal to readers to direct me to any English news sites from Latin America to help make this section better. If you know of any good news sites, blogs or organizations that profile human rights, conflict or peace issues from South or Central America, please write to me at apeaceofconflict@gmail.com or leave me the details in the comments below.

Thanks in advance,

Rebecca

• Occupy Wall Street protesters in…

The new federal agency that holds primary responsibility for regulating consumer protection in the U.S. has created an Ombudsman's Office to assist in the resolution of individual and systemic issues for depository and non-depository entities, and consumers. 

The office is characterized by independence, impartiality and…

Even though we know that name-calling sounds infantile, sometimes in the heat of anger, we realize we have resorted to blaming with words that hurt, or the other person is verbally attacking us. Unfortunately, the sentiments experienced in these words often echo long after the disagreement is over and may even get dragged into subsequent conversations.

Name-calling is an impulsive habit for responding to something another person says or does that offends us. From the point of…

• A US citizen was jailed by authorities in Thailand for translating excerpts of a locally banned biography of the King and posting them online. On Friday, the former PM was being questioned by police in connection with a deadly military crackdown on the “Red Shirt” mass opposition protests that…

Listen to this show by clicking on the player below.

"For December, we have chosen some of our favorite past shows to support you through the holiday season. Enjoy!"

Summer is here and with it comes more opportunities for great get-togethers with the extended family. Swim parties, barbecues, family reunions, picnics – the possibilities are endless. With multiple generations and all the…

Yet another mediation show is coming.  This time on MTV (thanks to Pattie Porter/ @txconflictcoach):

GOT A BEEF WITH YOUR FRIEND OR FOE? NEED VALIDATION… OR MAYBE…

• Transparency International’s new report concluded that police forces in eastern Africa are perceived as the most corrupt body among the six institutions surveyed; the police, judiciary, customs, registry and permit services, land services, medical services, tax revenue, utilities and education systems. According to the report, 54% of people surveyed reported to have paid a bribe in the past year.
• The…

• Global Witness announced that it had left the Kimberley Process, an international diamond regulatory group, because it refused to address links between diamonds, violence and tyranny. Even if these certification schemes manage to address problems at mines, in many cases, the materials must pass roadblocks and pay “taxes” that directly line the pockets of warlords.
• The United…

After a few months’ break, I’m back hunting the web for companies and service providers out there who are offering services which would be very familiar to ODR practitioners and researchers – but do so without making any mention of ODR, and beneath the radar of the ODR field in general. As earlier parts of this hunt have discussed, these…

Mladic, Qaddafi, Saleh and Assad like Tsunamis or Hurricanes?

Dr. Janice McRae, Werner Institute Blog

I like to compare things.  Not everyday things like apples and oranges, but unusual pairings…

When it comes to the wide range of changes that can occur in our professional and personal lives, anything that shifts the status quo – negative or positive – is known to exacerbate feelings of insecurity, vulnerability and other emotions. At these times, many of us are conscious of why we are anxious. For others, our feelings are at an unconscious or subconscious level. We just feel uncomfortable, upset or off-balance and are not quite sure what is specifically bothering…

Mladic, Qaddafi, Saleh and Assad like Tsunamis or Hurricanes?:…

• The top military commander in the US announced that he believes the eurozone is at great risk and warned that any breakup of the bloc could have serious consequences for the Pentagon. He warned of the potential for civil unrest after 26 of the 27 EU countries agreed to forge a tighter fiscal union.
• On Sunday, opposition leader Sergei Udaltsov…

• At least 25 people were killed in Syria on Saturdayin clashes between…