I have been a peacebuilder since I majored in ending the war in Vietnam in the late 1960s. If nothing else, I’ve learned that building peace is the ultimate wicked problem that cannot be solved quickly or easily. If it were, we’d already live in a peaceful world. This page serves as a launching point to my own writing, news from the peacebuilding field, and  the organizations I work with.

From Conflict Resolution to Peacebuilding

Along with Douglas Irvin-Erickson, I am currently working on this book which is designed to introduce people at all levels to the field I’ve dedicated my life to. Its primary audience will be undergraduate students, but anyone interested in the field should find it useful.

It will explore the way the field has evolved from its beginnings as a stand alone subject in the 1980s until today. It will also consider the ways conflict resolution and peacebuilding efforts take place at the personal as well as the political level.

You can read the prospectus that I am working from here.

Needless to say, i would welcome any ideas you have to offer.

Peacebuilding News

News coverage of the world’s hotspots can be depressing. Here, however, I will provide updates about progress (or the lack thereof) in global politics as well as information about the comings and goings in the peacebuilding world.

If you are looking for a summary of the world’s news, you will have more luck going to the Peace News Network which is the best source I know of for breaking news.

The Alliance for Peacebuilding

AfP (as we like to call ourselves) is a membership organization representing about 100 peacebuilding groups. Most are based in the United States, and most do the bulk of their work abroad. In recent years, we have added organizations headquartered elsewhere and, more importantly, begun to pivot and concern ourselves with conflict in the United States. As I often say in talks, “how can we claim to help people solve their problems in Burundi when we can’t solve our own in Baltimore?”

I joined the AfP staff and board of directors and currently serve as its Senior Fellow for Innovation and as an emeritus member of its board.

Because AfP is an umbrella organization, you can find links to most of the major peacebuilding groups on our web site.

Build Peace

I recently joined the board of directors for the non-profit wing of Build Up^ which is best known for its annual, globe-trotting Build Peace conference that explores the ways peacebuilders and technologists can work together.

This group of very cool and very hip millennials have gathered over 200 people together each time they’ve met, first at MIT and later in Cyprus, Zurich, and Bogota.

I help them chart long-term strategies and raise money from foundations.

….and add to the average age of their team.