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Ending War, but Beginning Peace?
Get PDFThe end of war, conventionally marked by the implementation of a ceasefire agreement, is popularly celebrated and politically lauded in the aftermath of extreme violence. However, the so- called “silencing of the guns” is regarded only as “negative peace” or first steps away from direct violence. What about beginning Peace? Johan Galtung, esteemed for his life work in peace studies, suggests that the situation after the cessation of hostilities might be worse than the status quo ante. With reference to contemporary violent conflict in the Middle East, focusing on hostilities between Israel and Palestine, I suggest that pursuing lasting “positive peace” will in fact turn on whether or not greater attention is afforded to addressing cultural and structural peace, both for survivors and belligerents, through preventative and rehabilitative efforts. The search for narratival convergences between affected parties opens the possibility of a shared language and dialogue between self and other. This recognition can enable a relational ethics with restorative actions. Alternatively, so long as the Thrasymachan mind-blindness of those in power persists among belligerents, ordinary civilians will continue to bear the brunt of the violence, suffer grievously and lose their lives or those of loved ones, while peacebuilding efforts will remain futil
Solving Global Problems Requires Global Cohesion
Get PDFA growing body of evidence from evolutionary anthropology and social psychology suggests that group cohesion can be scaled up beyond the level of nations and even regional blocs and transnational religions to encompass humanity at large. This article brings together insights from globally renowned political leaders, activists, and academics by arguing that this scaling up is not only possible but necessary to address the most pressing collective action problems facing our planet today. Drawing on evidence from experiments, longitudinal studies, and multi-country surveys, along with extensive practical experience—from serving as a head of state to playing leading roles in climate diplomacy and peace processes—we seek to lay the foundations for a radically new roadmap for change in the management of global challenges
Understanding the Underlying Motivations of the Russia-Ukraine War
Get PDFConflict resolution often focuses on material interests or trust building rather than the core psychological needs of the sides. Mapping the key emotional red lines of parties and addressing them creatively may offer new opportunities for peace. This article examines such an approach for the Russia-Ukraine conflict, with reflection on the Middle East where such a mapping of needs has begun. This approach leads to the concept of mutual needs satisfaction, where all sides’ critical red lines are addressed, if imperfectly. This is discussed regarding Russia, Ukraine, and the West today. As former Egyptian President Anwar Sadat demonstrated by going to the Israeli Knesset in 1977, symbolic steps that attend to core innate needs can pave the way to conflict resolution and peace
Play the Players for Winning Peace: Complexity Analytics with the UK-Ireland Good Friday Agreement as a Case Study
Get PDFThis article presents an innovative framework for analyzing and resolving intractable conflicts through the lens of complexity analytics. By conceptualizing conflicts as complex adaptive systems with fractal properties, we introduce a multifaceted methodology that integrates game theory, network analysis, cognitive science, and artificial intelligence (AI) to comprehend and influence conflict dynamics across multiple scales. The approach emphasizes ‘playing the players’ rather than focusing solely on the immediate conflict situation, drawing insights from poker strategy and AI-driven decision-making processes. This strategy involves understanding the psychological profiles, risk attitudes, and decision-making patterns of key actors, allowing for more nuanced and effective interventions. We demonstrate how mapping rationality spectrums, from extreme conditions to calculated trade-offs, can inform negotiation strategies. The framework incorporates market-based risk attitude quantification and memetic techniques to analyze information propagation and cultural influences in conflict zones. By treating conflicts as fractals, the methodology allows for the analysis of self-similar patterns across different scales, from local disputes to international conflicts. This approach enables policymakers and negotiators to identify critical intervention points and develop strategies that address the conflict’s underlying structure. The framework provides practical tools for conflict resolution practitioners, including network topology analysis, Bayesian updating of conflict assessments, and AI-driven scenario modeling. These tools are designed to enhance decision-making in complex, high-stakes environments where traditional approaches often fall short. To validate the framework, we present a detailed case study of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, demonstrating how complexity analytics can be applied to real-world conflict resolution processes. This case study illustrates the framework’s potential for achieving sustainable peace in seemingly intractable conflict situations
Experiencing Race, Racism And Racialization In Transnational Contexts: Racial Literacies Of First-Year International Asian Students.
Get PDFThis research focused on exploring the racial literacies of first-year international East Asian (EA) students, specifically examining their perceptions of and experiences with race, racism, and racialized groups in various social and educational contexts in both their home countries and the United States. The study used critical ethnography to examine the perspectives of EA international students and composition faculty. It involved multiple semi-structured interviews, journal entries, racial literacy autobiographies, site document analysis, and class observations to understand how students perceived exposure to race, racism, and racialized groups and how faculty viewed the importance of racial education for international students in their methodology and pedagogy within an anti-racist health-promoting public institution. The study drew on Combined Racial Literacies (Guinier, 2004; Twine, 2004; Sealey-Ruiz, 2021; Chavez-Moreno, 2022) and Asian Critical Race theory (Museus & Iftikar, 2018) conceptual frameworks. The findings revealed that international students from East Asian countries used different proxies to define race and had an intersectional perspective on race. Despite experiencing racist incidents, they were in denial of racism while maintaining anti-Black sentiments. The study also highlighted the delicate interplay of socio-economic class, adoption of English names, and subscription to Whiteness ideas of racial domination and integration. Recommendations for programmatic practices included internationalization efforts at the program level, aligning with the institution\u27s anti-racist health-promoting mission and vision, as well as investment in developing the racial literacies of international students. The pedagogical implications of the study included integrating critical language awareness and culturally relevant racial literacy approaches that align with internationalization efforts focusing on the development of racial literacies among international students
Exploring Transgender and Gender Expansive Youth\u27s Experiences with Vicarious Minority Stress
Get PDFIn the United States (U.S.), transgender and gender expansive (TGE) youth experience elevated rates of depressive symptoms, self-harm behaviors, and suicidality compared to cisgender peers. Mental health professionals and researchers often use the gender minority stress model to explain these elevated rates, positing that stressors related to minority identity experienced above and beyond normative daily stress contribute to adverse mental health outcomes. One emerging component of the model requiring further investigation is vicarious minority stress; stress experienced indirectly through witnessing or learning of gender minority stressors affecting other TGD individuals or the community more broadly. The present study explored this concept through semi-structured interviews with seven TGE youth (ages 15-19). Interviews were analyzed using critical-constructivist grounded theory, which resulted in four clusters: (1) TGE youth experience vicarious gender minority stress through witnessing and learning of stressors experienced by other TGE individuals and the community more broadly, (2) TGE youth view vicarious gender minority stressors as impacting their psychological well-being, (3) TGE youth push back against, and cope adaptively with vicarious gender minority stressors, and (4) TGE youth observe that different personal and contextual factors influenced how impacted they were by vicarious gender minority stressors. The core category concluded that TGE youth’s reactions to vicarious gender minority stressors are modulated by context and identity, leading to stress responses and processes of empowerment. These findings deepen current understandings of vicarious minority stressors, elucidate the mechanisms through which they affect TGE youth, and have implications regarding policy and clinical practice for TGE youth
Harboring Change: Legacy Contamination, Plant-Metal Dynamics, and the Fate of a Boston Marsh
Get PDFCoastal wetlands within the Boston Harbor watershed provide numerous ecosystem services and community benefits but are challenged by anthropogenic influence including a legacy of pollution and increasing mean sea level. In this thesis, I will consider the historic and present sources of contamination in Boston Harbor, the role an individual salt marsh species (Salicornia depressa) plays in the movement of heavy metals, and how projected sea level rise and urbanization may affect future marsh viability. These complex issues are explored through a case study of Pattens Cove, a 9.6-acre parcel of state-managed land in Dorchester, MA home to a small, fringing salt marsh with metal concentrations exceeding levels of concern. Although our decomposition study found lower than expected metal accumulation in plant tissue, total masses of select metals remained stable despite overall litter mass loss. This suggested stabilization of heavy metals in marsh plants is one of many ecosystem services offered that may be compromised due to sea level rise. As an urban green space embedded into the fabric of the Savin Hill neighborhood, Pattens Cove has an uncertain fate due to rising tides which we explore through aerial imagery and tidal data. Addressing this uncertainty with informed management and planning is essential to safeguard the longevity of this vital urban resource
SYMP25S: AI-Powered Email Drafting System for Consulting Workflows
No full textIn modern consulting environments, professionals handle large volumes of routine emails that take up valuable time. This project introduces an AI-powered system that automatically drafts replies using IMAP, Zapier, and a Python webhook. Designed for firms using hosted webmail services (like Roundcube), it offers a secure, streamlined alternative to mainstream tools like Gmail and Outlook, saving time while keeping communication professional
Front Matter and Table of Contents
Get PDFFront matter and table of contents for Volume 37, Issue 1 of the New England Journal of Public Policy
Up-Island Council on Aging: Planning for the Future
Get PDFThis report describes research undertaken by the Center for Social & Demographic Research on Aging (CSDRA) within the Gerontology Institute at the University of Massachusetts Boston, on behalf of the Up-Island Council on Aging (UICOA). The goals of this project were to investigate the needs, interests, preferences, and opinions of Aquinnah, Chilmark, and West Tisbury residents age 50 or older by engaging the community regarding their experiences and needs relevant to the Council on Aging’s (UICOA’s) objective to identify and serve the needs of older residents of Up-island