John Bell reflects on how ignoring innate needs has crippled his homeland, and on how it could recover.
Politics As Blood Sport (and the Search for Big Daddy)
Having a strong political opinion and cheering for a leader may both feel virtuous, but they may also represent error and misjudgement, if unexamined.
Partisanship in Politics: The Triumph of Drama Over Results
The rigid polarization we see today in politics is a reflection of a win/lose style of thinking that has to change if societies are to thrive.
‘Neither Left nor Right’: The Problem With Political Parties
Political parties are formulas to bind groups together towards an objective, but they are also exercises in static and fixed thinking.
Psychological Dimensions of Peacemaking
Mutual needs satisfaction, based on a fundamental understanding of our innate needs and resources, is the means of achieving sustainable peace in politics
The Life and Work of Ibn Khaldun
Ibn Khaldun, a 14th century Arab historian, wrote that most understanding of politics and history is a result of bias, whereas more permanent and accurate laws lie beyond that.
Coronavirus, War, Or…?
Many are wondering whether the global COVID-19 crisis is the harbinger of greater global cooperation or a confirmation of our more ‘selfish selves.’
Empty Words with Deadly Consequences
In an excellent article in the New York Times, Christy Wampole, Associate Professor at Princeton University, explains how abstractions in politics can have deadly consequences. She suggests that generalized concepts …
Lebanon (and Chile and Iraq) are an example to us all
This image says it almost all. A proposed tax on WhatsApp calls and suddenly there is a revolutionary movement. As it demonstrates, there were many other issues, and much build …
Black Box Thinking
The great British economist John Maynard Keynes is reputed to have once quipped to someone, “When my information changes, I alter my conclusions. What do you do, sir?” In his …