Conflict Resolution

Ever held a differing opinion from your boss? Boasted dissimilar ideas than your co-worker? Been knocked out by a colleague over a disagreement about a project? (OK, so the last one might be a stretch, but it's happened before...) Join the club. Human resource managers report spending 24 to 60 percent of their time dealing with employee disputes. The number of violent incidents in the workplace has been increasing steadily, according to a study by the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM)

For the sake of argument, imagine a world without conflict. That's the full-time job for members of a relatively new field called peace psychology who focus on problems like the genocide in Darfur, hatred in the Middle East, gang warfare in our cities, and rape everywhere. Wondering what lessons they've learned in the trenches that we could use in our daily lives, "O" asked five top peace psychologists for their best advice on waging harmony. ?"We often figure that other people see the world in the same way we do and overestimate the degree to which they understand our approach and actions.

As two teen-agers -- one Israeli, one Palestinian -- head home this week from summer camp, they'll be taking more than the memories of a new, unlikely friendship. They'll also take with them an expanded perspective on the conflict in their region, after spending three weeks at the Seeds of Peace International Camp for Conflict Resolution in Otisfield, Maine. Bunk mates Sharon Koren, a 15-year-old Israeli from Haifa and Amani Zuaiter, a 14-year-old Palestinian from East Jerusalem, both arrived at camp June 24 at the encouragement of their families with an open mind, ready to get to know other teens they normally would never meet.

President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Monday as more than 10,000 pro-Israel activists gathered in Washington for the annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee Policy Conference. But rather than focusing on the stalled Middle East peace process, their talks and subsequent media coverage have centered on the question of using military force to stop Iran's nuclear program. The events in Washington took place just after 24 Christian, Jewish and Muslim prominent faith leaders from the United States and Indonesia returned from a mission to the Middle East.

Ousted Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiev said Monday that he had no intention of returning to power and hopes to remain in Belarus, Russia's Interfax news agency reported. Bakiev was ousted in April when violent protests erupted in Bishkek, sparked by higher utility prices and allegations of corruption. He had been under criticism by his opponents for fueling ethnic tensions in the south. Speaking from Belarus' capital, Minsk, where he lives in exile, Bakiev said he is looking for opportunities with the private sector.

Germany's opposition to a possible war with Iraq is likely to come under increasing attention as Berlin takes a seat on the U.N. Security Council.Germany already has said it will not support any war with Baghdad militarily or financially and has come to diplomatic blows with the United States over Iraq.As one of 10 non-permanent members of the Security Council, it is now set to play an important role in deciding how the United Nations responds to the current arms inspections in Iraq.

The former U.S. President Bill Clinton arrived at the Hay-on-Wye Festival to boos from the crowd outside and slow-hand claps from the audience inside. But once he began to speak the 1,300-strong audience they appeared won over by his talk on conflict resolution as he gave real insight into eight years in the most powerful job on earth. He said he believed the peace process in Northern Ireland would succeed, but expressed his regret that conflict between Israelis and Palestinians continues today.

Capps, a religion professor who once wrote a book warning about the dangers he saw in an increased religious presence in politics, survived a lifethreatening car accident in 1996 to succeed in his repeat effort to cast Republican Andrea Seastrand as too conservative for this mainline, coastal district.;Capps liberal views may at times leave him out of step with his constituents. He favors increased protection of the environment, opposed the new law designed to discourage samesex marriages, and has opposed a state ballot proposition to deny illegal immigrants access to most government services.

As a veteran of combat in Vietnam, I am often asked about current wars. Recently I have been asked about soldiers posing with corpses or urinating on corpses in Afghanistan. The "patriotic" media wants us to understand what it is like to be a soldier in war, not to condone the conduct but to ask "who are we to judge?" They want to know about rules of war: "Are there rules about taking pictures with dead bodies?" When I see these pictures, I am not shocked. I have similar pictures from Vietnam.

President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Monday as more than 10,000 pro-Israel activists gathered in Washington for the annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee Policy Conference. But rather than focusing on the stalled Middle East peace process, their talks and subsequent media coverage have centered on the question of using military force to stop Iran's nuclear program. The events in Washington took place just after 24 Christian, Jewish and Muslim prominent faith leaders from the United States and Indonesia returned from a mission to the Middle East.

Ousted Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiev said Monday that he had no intention of returning to power and hopes to remain in Belarus, Russia's Interfax news agency reported. Bakiev was ousted in April when violent protests erupted in Bishkek, sparked by higher utility prices and allegations of corruption. He had been under criticism by his opponents for fueling ethnic tensions in the south. Speaking from Belarus' capital, Minsk, where he lives in exile, Bakiev said he is looking for opportunities with the private sector.

For the sake of argument, imagine a world without conflict. That's the full-time job for members of a relatively new field called peace psychology who focus on problems like the genocide in Darfur, hatred in the Middle East, gang warfare in our cities, and rape everywhere. Wondering what lessons they've learned in the trenches that we could use in our daily lives, "O" asked five top peace psychologists for their best advice on waging harmony. ?"We often figure that other people see the world in the same way we do and overestimate the degree to which they understand our approach and actions.

Ever held a differing opinion from your boss? Boasted dissimilar ideas than your co-worker? Been knocked out by a colleague over a disagreement about a project? (OK, so the last one might be a stretch, but it's happened before...) Join the club. Human resource managers report spending 24 to 60 percent of their time dealing with employee disputes. The number of violent incidents in the workplace has been increasing steadily, according to a study by the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM)

Germany's opposition to a possible war with Iraq is likely to come under increasing attention as Berlin takes a seat on the U.N. Security Council.Germany already has said it will not support any war with Baghdad militarily or financially and has come to diplomatic blows with the United States over Iraq.As one of 10 non-permanent members of the Security Council, it is now set to play an important role in deciding how the United Nations responds to the current arms inspections in Iraq.

As two teen-agers -- one Israeli, one Palestinian -- head home this week from summer camp, they'll be taking more than the memories of a new, unlikely friendship. They'll also take with them an expanded perspective on the conflict in their region, after spending three weeks at the Seeds of Peace International Camp for Conflict Resolution in Otisfield, Maine. Bunk mates Sharon Koren, a 15-year-old Israeli from Haifa and Amani Zuaiter, a 14-year-old Palestinian from East Jerusalem, both arrived at camp June 24 at the encouragement of their families with an open mind, ready to get to know other teens they normally would never meet.

The former U.S. President Bill Clinton arrived at the Hay-on-Wye Festival to boos from the crowd outside and slow-hand claps from the audience inside. But once he began to speak the 1,300-strong audience they appeared won over by his talk on conflict resolution as he gave real insight into eight years in the most powerful job on earth. He said he believed the peace process in Northern Ireland would succeed, but expressed his regret that conflict between Israelis and Palestinians continues today.

Capps, a religion professor who once wrote a book warning about the dangers he saw in an increased religious presence in politics, survived a lifethreatening car accident in 1996 to succeed in his repeat effort to cast Republican Andrea Seastrand as too conservative for this mainline, coastal district.;Capps liberal views may at times leave him out of step with his constituents. He favors increased protection of the environment, opposed the new law designed to discourage samesex marriages, and has opposed a state ballot proposition to deny illegal immigrants access to most government services.