Our purpose isn’t to end the American political conflict, because we believe that conflict is part of how societies change for the better. Instead, we ask: what would it mean for this conflict to be better? What does fighting constructively look like? We see two ways to answer such questions. First, a great deal has already been said about what makes conflict “better” or “worse,” which is why we’re into readings and research. Second, it’s essential to get curious about the deeper dynamics of current events. That’s why we’re also a news publication, rounding up the most insightful writing not just about what happened, but about how to approach it productively from the perspective of conflict transformation.

There are many ways to describe our subject. We’ll use words like polarization, social cohesion, and peace. But mere pacification is not enough, so we’ll also talk about things like justice and rights. We’re after both: the integration of peace and justice. We aim to be one part realpolitik and one part idealism.

We know we need to draw from a wide range of traditions, from scholarly to community, from spiritual to radical. We also know we need all sorts of people to help us make sense of all of this. No matter whether you’re in the majority or the minority, no matter what your special expertise is, no matter what your politics are – if you are dedicated to the project of living together with respect, we want you here.

Project Director Bio:

Jonathan Stray is a journalist, a computer scientist, and a conflict scholar.  He is currently a Senior Scientist at the Center for Human Compatible AI at UC Berkeley, where he works on the design of recommender algorithms for better-personalized news and information. Previously, he taught the dual master’s degree in computer science and journalism at Columbia University. He has also worked as an editor at the Associated Press, and as an investigative journalist at ProPublica.