Category Archives: Conflict History

Conflict in practices: lessons from world history

Walls versus Windmills

Posted on February 7, 2020 by

So fitting: “When the winds of change blow, some people build walls and others build windmills.” Chinese Proverb 当变革之风吹来时，有些人盖了墙，有些人盖了风车

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Colonel John Boyd’s (1927-97) The OODA Loop

Posted on January 28, 2020 by

Thanks to our correspondent Kakatoa for pointing out the link between Double Loop Learning and the OODA Loop of Colonel Boyd: here is the latter: from Wikipedia: The OODA loop has become an important concept in litigation, business, law enforcement … Continue reading →

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How Not to Negotiate Trade Deals Post Brexit

Posted on January 28, 2020 by

Lifted from the UK Guardian comments this morning. Says it all really. And I post this for conflict and negotiation interest rather than a specifically Brexit point though despite my old friend Bill Ury teaching the British Cabinet Interest Based … Continue reading →

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Beating Trump in 2020 as Per Deng Xiaoping

Posted on January 27, 2020 by

So roughly to answer a friend’s question how is Trump to be beaten? Assuming the election is close, which in Electoral College terms is likely, then it will be decided by a few hundred thousand voters in Wisc, Michigan, Penn. … Continue reading →

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Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s (1906-1945) Prescient Comments

Posted on January 27, 2020 by

While awaiting execution in April 1945,  member of the German Resistance to Hitler and religious thinker and Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer recorded a number of his thoughts in a work we now know as Letters and Papers from Prison. One of … Continue reading →

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Clown’s Red Nose

Posted on January 27, 2020 by

The former Norwegian army peace keeper and mine clearer, who had served all over the Middle East, in Afghanistan and the Sudan conflicts, I had dinner with on Saturday told some amazing stories. One of them was that in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Conflict History, Conflict Humor, Middle East Conflict, Top Ten Conflict Tips from Great Thinkers, Uncategorized, Ways to handle conflict | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Aristotle on Inequality

Posted on December 5, 2019 by

“The best constitution is one controlled by a numerous middle class which stands between the rich and the poor. For those who possess the goods of fortune in moderation find it “easiest to obey the rule of reason” (Politics IV.11.1295b4–6). … Continue reading →

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