Colleague, News, and Opinion Links for the Week of January 4, 2026
Newsletter #413 - January 8, 2025
Highlighted Links
A few suggestions about links that we think are especially interesting.
Israel / Hamas War
Why Jihadism Is in Retreat — As the world continues its struggle against terrorism and Islamic extremism, hopeful news that the influence of this philosophy is waning.Developing a Unifying Vision
Where does a liberal go from here? — From a liberal perspective, a thought-provoking assessment of the reasons behind liberalism's current difficulties and steps that might be taken to put the movement back on track.Interstate War
What I Learned in Venezuela — From Nicholas Kristof, a man who has done a lot of in-depth reporting on life in Venezuela, his thoughts on the United States’ recent actions.Social / Economic Complexity
We Live Like Royalty and Don’t Know It — A timely reminder of just how fortunate we are to live in this time and place (and what we need to do to protect our good fortune).Race / Anti-Racism
America has to feel fair — Perceptive reflections on how to build a society that is widely regarded as fair by those on both sides of the political divide.Developing a Unifying Vision
In Which I Try Valiantly to Cheer You Up — An optimistic report on one of our principal sources of optimism--the fact that there are lots of people who continue to figure out how to make things better.Superpower Conflict
Trump’s ‘American Dominance’ May Leave Us With Nothing — From Anne Applebaum, an important and persuasive argument that President Trump’s new sphere of influence-based foreign policy will ultimately end in tragedy.US Politics
Trump Is Unleashing Forces Beyond His Control — An especially perceptive article about the complex ramifications of the Trump Administration’s actions in Venezuela.
Reader Suggested Links
Highlighting links suggested by our readers. Please send us links to things that you find useful.
Developing a Unifying Vision
Ideas worth dying for — For a time in which soldiers are increasingly being asked to sacrifice their lives, thoughts about what does and doesn’t make that sacrifice acceptable.Superpower Conflict
The Great Unraveling Has Begun — The sophisticated analysis of how we are now dismantling the mechanisms that, for the last 75 years, successfully prevented World War III.Israel / Hamas War
A shameful shrug for momentous events in Iran — Thoughts about the important moral questions associated with the ongoing popular uprising against the Iranian theocracy (which was such a strong supporter of Hamas).Constructive Communication
How Duke University is Promoting Civil Dialogue Through “Transformative Ideas” — A report on Duke University’s efforts to reach a grand compromise on how to constructively explore and debate controversial issues on campus.Social / Economic Complexity
On every continent, food supplies have grown faster than the population — Statistics demonstrating that, for every continent, societies were able to do what was considered impossible in the 1970s -- feed an exploding global population.Israel / Hamas War
Israel Just Exposed The Entire Game — An informative perspective on Israel’s new requirement that nongovernmental humanitarian organizations register before engaging in relief efforts in Gaza.
Colleague Activities
Highlighting things that our conflict and peacebuilding colleagues are doing that contribute to efforts to address the hyper-polarization problem.
Civil Society
The Conversation Before the Conversation: How Civility Helps Strengthen our Civic Muscle — Malka Kopell and Palma Joy Strand talk about how we can slow down and listen, even in a culture that is addicted to outrage and constant change.Constructive Advocacy
Better Conflict is More Popular Than Ever — It’s hard to find definitive statistics on how many people or organizations are working on better conflict in America, but pretty much every plausible indicator is up.Developing a Unifying Vision
The Year We Choose Each Other: A 2026 Call to American Renewal — The path to peace runs straight through the truth of our interdependence, says Paul Zeitz. If we recognize that, we can thrive. If we don’t, we won’t.Saving Democracy
Five Revelations About American Democracy in 2025 — American democracy in 2025 didn’t collapse. It tilted—operating at a slant, far from its designed equilibrium with backup systems compensating for primary institutional failures.Social / Economic Complexity
6 Things That Restored Our Faith in Humanity This Year — Despite all the bad things that happened, 2025 was full of moments that reminded the writers at The Builders of something important: even in divided times, people continue to find ways to show up, work together, and surprise each other.Constructive Communication
From the Inbox: We Asked Liberals and Conservatives to Compliment Each Other—Here’s What Happened. — The Builders gave their readers a simple -- but not so simple -- assignment: “If you’re liberal, say something nice about conservatives. If you’re conservative, say something nice about liberals.” Here are some of the most surprising answers.Social / Economic Complexity
Outrage Overload: What Resonated Most in 2025. — In 2025, the Outrage Overload community underwent a significant transition from passive frustration to active, resilient civic engagement. 2025 was the year we stopped asking “why is this happening?” and started asking “how do we build what comes next?”Social / Economic Complexity
Beyond Conflict: End of Year Reflections — As we closed out 2025, Beyond Conflict focused on one question: what does it actually take to sustain democracy in a moment of deep conflict, fear, and fragmentation? They share their answers in this report.Civil Society
Building Civic Capacity at Scale: Raj Vinnakota on the Future of Campus Dialogue — 90% of young people ages 10-24 want to engage and help solve community problems, but roughly half don’t know how to do that. These skills must be taught to as many people as possible.Artificial Intelligence
Recap: Workshop Explores AI-Assisted Deliberation for Decentralized Social Networks — A report on a workshop exploring how AI-assisted deliberation can help online communities govern themselves democratically by enabling meaningful deliberative decision-making entirely online in hours or minutes at modest cost.Developing a Unifying Vision
Message of Hope — Hope is not an aspiration but a virtue to be practiced. Hope drives us to improve our lives and the world around us. When it’s extinguished, despair and paralysis fill the gap, making progress even less likely.Civil Society
Introducing Roundabout: built for neighbors, with neighbors — Roundabout is a community space built with local leaders and neighbors to foster trusted information-sharing, genuine connection, and belonging. The platform is currently being piloted in five communities.Interstate War
Venezuela: Holding Ambiguity with Civic Restraint — When shocking events happen, outrage and certainty feel comforting -- but they often short-circuit understanding. David Beckemeyer explores how to stay oriented, and why not deciding immediately may be the most responsible response.Constructive Communication
“Critical Moments” When Public Participation Falters — By identifying five critical moments where participation falters or succeeds, this article offers practical insight into how everyday interactions between residents and officials shape democratic legitimacy.Constructive Communication
Are they brave? Are they angels? — An account of a Braver Angels Skills for Disagreeing Better workshop and how it reminded one attendee of his beloved mother’s worldview.Civic Education
Citizen Fitness: 8 Easy Ways to Improve America, and Your Wellbeing, Right NOW — Eight simple, positive steps you can take today to help decrease polarization and increase your sense of wellbeing from Martha Engber, host of Vigilant Positivity.
News and Opinion
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. (Formerly, Beyond Intractability in Context.)
Authoritarianism
The Illiberal International — A comprehensive report on the many ways in which the world’s authoritarian regimes are working cooperatively to strengthen and protect one another.Left / Right Conflict
To Understand Today’s Left, Remember Daniel Patrick Moynihan — An eye-opening profile (with lots of lessons for today) of one of the most interesting political figures of the late 20th century -- a man who was able to see beyond the political orthodoxies of his time.Communication Complexity
Making Sense of the Information Ecosystem — For those trying to understand why our new high-tech information systems lie at the core of so many of our problems, the first of an informative series of articles on the topic.Developing a Unifying Vision
Ten things that are going right in America — Another reminder that, despite our troubles, there are lots of ways in which our society works and continues to improve.Israel / Hamas War
Islamist Violence and Official Silence — An undoubtedly controversial argument that Western democracies are failing to recognize the magnitude of the threat posed by Islamic extremism and violence.Progressive Left
The Other Way the ‘Super Woke’ Left Discriminates — A thoughtful examination of the reasons why many people believe that we have crossed the line that separates desirable anti-discrimination efforts from undesirable reverse discrimination.Social / Economic Complexity
The Five Mules Pulling the 21st Century — A provocative “think peace” asking us to contemplate some of the giant trends that will shape the 21st-century world.US Politics
Trump’s First Year Back, in 10 Charts — Ten great charts that highlight the nature and magnitude of the changes that have taken place over the last year.Race / Anti-Racism
Inequality Has Become Its Own Explanation — For those concerned about economic and social disparities, a provocative article that offers a persuasive and constructive critique of now-dominant ways of thinking about inequality.Psychological Complexity
Why We Fall for Narcissistic Leaders, Starting in Grade School — A timely social psychological analysis that explores society’s complex relationship with narcissistic leaders.US Politics
Why Does Trump Get Away With It? — An in-depth look at the reasons why President Trump is able to do things that, for other politicians, would have been scandalous and career ending.Interstate War
How Russia’s War Machine Brutalizes and Exploits Its Own Soldiers — An analysis of the ways in which one aggressive authoritarian regime is able to force its soldiers to commit terrible acts of violence -- violence that also undermines the interests of their communities).Race / Anti-Racism
FAIR’s American Experience Curriculum — From the Foundation against Intolerance and Racism, a proposed compromise curriculum for teaching the next generation about the strengths and weaknesses of the society that they will inherit.Media Reform
How anonymous sourcing actually works. — From Tangle, an explanation of what it means when a reporter cites “anonymous sources.”Civil Society
Civility is Not Reciprocal: Why We Must be Courteous to Those Who Aren’t — A challenge to the notion that we don’t need to be civil to people who are not now engaging with us in civil ways.Developing a Unifying Vision
There Is a Way Out of This Mess — Another thought-provoking article that tries to help us identify and apply lessons from similar historical periods.Psychological Complexity
We’re Living Through the Great Detachment — An analysis of the socio-cultural implications of today’s individually-focused belief systems with fewer of the attachments that traditionally bound people together.Class Inequity
America has already differentiated into castes — A comparison of the rigidity of India’s notorious cast system with the informal but equally sharp divide that exists between those who are and who are not members of the professional managerial class in the United States.US Politics
Trump Is Pushing a Culture War That Knows No Bounds — The description of what the culture wars look like now that they have escalated far beyond anything that the Democrats ever pursued.The Hyper-Polarization Threat
Incandescent anger — An in-depth look at the complex social psychology of anger, the way in which it is cultivated, and the far-reaching effects that it has on society.Effective Problem-Solving
Why Some Reservations Prosper While Others Struggle: The Data — An example of the kind of rigorous, sophisticated analysis that needs to be conducted as part of a comprehensive effort to build a better future for Native American communities.Social / Economic Complexity
The Quiet, Fateful Shift in Who’s Buying America’s Debt — From economics, the “dismal science,” news about subtle shifts in the way in which the United States finances its rapidly growing debt -- shifts that may lead to catastrophe.Israel / Hamas War
The Score — From one of the Israeli hostages, a heartbreaking account of what she had to endure (with sobering insights into the thinking of her captors).Israel / Hamas War
Hamas Is Loving Its Revival — An update on the ways in which Hamas has been able to reassert itself within the context of the Trump peace plan (a plan that was supposed to disarm Hamas).
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About the MBI Newsletters
Two or three times a week, Guy and Heidi Burgess, the BI Directors, share some of our thoughts on political hyper-polarization and related topics. We also share essays from our colleagues and other contributors, and every week or so, we devote one newsletter to annotated links to outside readings that we found particularly useful relating to U.S. hyper-polarization, threats to peace (and actual violence) in other countries, and related topics of interest. Each Newsletter is 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.
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