• 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…

• 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…

JAMS, the largest provider of mediation and arbitration services worldwide, today announced it will expand its ADR services and open a Resolution Center in Miami in spring 2012.

The Resolution Center will be located at 600 Brickell, considered one the preeminent locations in the Miami Financial District. The move expands JAMS presence in the Southeast and signifies its commitment to ADR services in Latin and South Americas.

“With a panel of highly talented and…

It is common when we are in conflict, that as our emotions escalate, many of us tend to interrupt more and listen less. We interrupt for a number of reasons, including that we perceive that whatever is being said or done undermines and challenges something important for us. Or, we find it difficult to hear the truth or falsehood of what the other person is saying, or we figure we know what the person is about to say and have limited patience or time. Other reasons for interrupting may…

The other day I came home after a long day of work and put my bag down and said hi to my wife and son. I took off my shoes and my coat and draped it over my bag in the kitchen. The second my coat and shoes were off my wife asked me to take something outside to the garbage.

“What?? Can’t you see I just literally took my shoes and coat off? You couldn’t ask me that 2 seconds earlier?” was my response.

I reacted. I’m sure you can think of times where that has happened. How do you…

What would it be like if you went out for coffee with someone, tried to carry on a conversation with them (respond to what they are saying, ask questions, etc.) and they never stopped talking the entire time?  What if you asked them a question clarifying what they were talking about and they didn’t take the time to answer? What would you do? I know that I would get up and leave….and try to stick…

• Tens of thousands of people took part in rallies across Europe on Saturday to protest against an international anti-piracy agreement they fear will curb their freedom to download movies and music for free and encourage internet surveillance.
• Pro-Europe politician Sauli…

Does Your Beard Make You A Better Mediator?

Have some fun with the collection of nonverbal communication research I gathered below.  What are your thoughts on the…

• Human Rights Watch alleged that authorities in Iran are intimidating and arresting relatives and friends of Persian-language journalists working abroad on Friday; while American spy chiefs told Congress that they believed Iran’s leaders are now more willing to attack the US in…

Much has been written about the many benefits offered by Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) over the past decade and a half. Articles extolling ODR for being flexible, cost-efficient, convenient, cross-jurisdictional, travel-saving and so on are by now commonplace.…