Social media technology is having a dramatic impact on social and political dynamics around the world. The contributors to this book document and illustrate this "techtonic" shift on violent conflict and democratic processes. They present vivid examples and case studies from countries in Africa, South and Southeast Asia, Latin America as well as Northern Ireland. Each author maps an array of peacebuilding solutions to social media threats, including coordinated action by civil society, governments and tech companies to protect human minds, relationships and institutions. Solutions presented include inoculating society with a new digital literacy agenda, designing technology for positive social impacts, and regulating technology to prohibit the worst behaviours. A must-read both for political scientists and policymakers trying to understand the impact of social media, and media studies scholars looking for a global perspective.

In a remote canyon in northern New Mexico the early morning stillness is broken by voices chanting praises to the Lord. And thus begins the daily cycle in the Godcentered life and search of the Benedictine monks at the Monastery of Christ in the Desert.Seeking God is a monastic tapestry. The daily life of the monks is interwoven with the seasonal changes and celebrations and the candid words of the monks as they speak of their life their hopes and doubts their hardships fears and joys their prayer. Weaving this tapestry together are the hauntingly beautiful chants songs of praise and reverence that echo through the darkness before dawn throughout the day through the solemnity of Vespers in the evening and Compline at night. The majestic beauty of the environment captured in every season reflects a peace and tranquility that becomes an integral part of this monastic tapestry. The high red rock walls of the canyon where eagles fly cradle the valley whose stillness is broken only by the flowing waters of the Chama River and the winds that occasionally funnel through. Seeking God presents the ongoing process of the monastic way through the words and activities of these Benedictine monks as they move through the day and through the seasons in their search for God through prayer work study and song.

The word "dialogue" suffers from over-use, yet its practice is as transforming and as freshly hopeful as ever.
Authors Schirch and Campt demonstrate dialogue's life and possibilities in this clear and absorbing manual: "Dialogue allows people in conflict to listen to each other, affirm their common ground, and explore their differences in a safe environment."
The Little Book is a to-the-point handbook, covering:
- "Dialogue vs. Debate"
- "When to use dialogue"
- "Key dialogue facilitation skills"
- "Inviting people to a dialogue process"
- "Moving from dialogue to action"
- "Assessing the effectiveness of dialogue"
Schirch has worked throughout the Southern hemisphere in peacebuilding projects. Campt has focused on racial and class reconciliation in American cities. Many of the skills and the case studies they offer in this book come from their own wide experiences.

Social media technology is having a dramatic impact on social and political dynamics around the world. The contributors to this book document and illustrate this "techtonic" shift on violent conflict and democratic processes. They present vivid examples and case studies from countries in Africa, South and Southeast Asia, Latin America as well as Northern Ireland. Each author maps an array of peacebuilding solutions to social media threats, including coordinated action by civil society, governments and tech companies to protect human minds, relationships and institutions. Solutions presented include inoculating society with a new digital literacy agenda, designing technology for positive social impacts, and regulating technology to prohibit the worst behaviours. A must-read both for political scientists and policymakers trying to understand the impact of social media, and media studies scholars looking for a global perspective.

The fields of conflict analysis, management, resolution, prevention and transformation continue to expand beyond NGOs into university departments, religious organizations, media professionals and governments. In the years since 2001, governments around the world are developing conflict assessment frameworks to complement their other needs assessment and intelligence gathering processes. This handbook assists planners from a variety of different sectors to design better programs to support peace and security. The handbook contains 1) conflict assessment exercises; 2) self-assessment exercises; and 3) peacebuilding planning frameworks. Conflict assessment exercises help to map the factors increasing conflict and the factors supporting peace. Self-assessment exercises help narrow priorities and assess abilities of those planning peacebuilding. Peacebuilding frameworks offer a range of program options. Through its synthesis of a wide range of conceptual frameworks into a convenient and logical framework useful for practitioners such as NGOs developing projects, journalists wanting to write conflict-sensitive stories, or government/military agencies designing large scale efforts, this handbook is an essential scholarly and practical tool for the study and implementation of peacebuilding efforts.

The fields of conflict analysis, management, resolution, prevention and transformation continue to expand beyond NGOs into university departments, religious organizations, media professionals and governments. In the years since 2001, governments around the world are developing conflict assessment frameworks to complement their other needs assessment and intelligence gathering processes. This handbook assists planners from a variety of different sectors to design better programs to support peace and security. The handbook contains 1) conflict assessment exercises; 2) self-assessment exercises; and 3) peacebuilding planning frameworks. Conflict assessment exercises help to map the factors increasing conflict and the factors supporting peace. Self-assessment exercises help narrow priorities and assess abilities of those planning peacebuilding. Peacebuilding frameworks offer a range of program options. Through its synthesis of a wide range of conceptual frameworks into a convenient and logical framework useful for practitioners such as NGOs developing projects, journalists wanting to write conflict-sensitive stories, or government/military agencies designing large scale efforts, this handbook is an essential scholarly and practical tool for the study and implementation of peacebuilding efforts.

Conflict is dramatic. In theater, literature, story telling, and news reporting, it is a powerful mechanism that draws attention, heightens the senses and evokes emotion. Schirch argues that peacebuilding has the potential to do just the same. Examples of peacebuilding often center on the serious, rational negotiations and formal problem-solving efforts in conflict situations. Schirch argues, though, that what truly bonds adversaries and helps achieve peace are the symbolic, non-verbal ritual acts - shaking hands, sharing a meal, showing a photograph of a loved one. Yet these are often overlooked as deliberate components of peace negotiations. Ritual and Symbol in Peacebuilding underscores the importance of incorporating symbolic tools, including ritual, into traditional approaches to conflict. Ritual assists in solving complex, deep-rooted conflicts, and helps to confirm and transform worldviews, identities, and relationships. With theories and language to explain the symbolic dimensions of conflict, this text will be useful to scholars and practitioners active in the diverse field of peacebuilding.

The Ecology of Violent Extremism brings together leading theorists and practitioners to describe an ecological or systems approach to violent extremism. Nothing can be fixed until it is understood. News media keep us alarmed to the close---up devastation of acts of terrorism. This book climbs a ladder to get a better view of the problem. What is beneath and beyond violent extremism? How do we respond to the problem of violent extremism in ways that do not fertilize the root causes that fueled it in the first place? While many books offer one or two hypotheses for preventing terrorism, this book gives readers the tools to look at the problem from many different angles. The book offers a "map of violent extremism" drawing connections between twenty---five factors that correlate with violent extremism (VE). On a spectrum, counterterrorism seeks to disrupt, detain, and destroy terrorist plans and networks. P/CVE seeks to prevent and counter the belief systems that support violent extremism. Peacebuilding addresses the longer---term factors and root causes driving VE. An ecological approach to VE recognizes that interventions also interact with each other. For example, some approaches to counterterrorism also motivate further recruitment to VE groups and undermine peacebuilding interventions. Readers finish the book recognizing the debates within the very definition of violent extremism, and understanding a broader paradigm for how we understand and respond to violent extremist beliefs and acts of terror.

The Ecology of Violent Extremism brings together leading theorists and practitioners to describe an ecological or systems approach to violent extremism. Nothing can be fixed until it is understood. News media keep us alarmed to the close---up devastation of acts of terrorism. This book climbs a ladder to get a better view of the problem. What is beneath and beyond violent extremism? How do we respond to the problem of violent extremism in ways that do not fertilize the root causes that fueled it in the first place? While many books offer one or two hypotheses for preventing terrorism, this book gives readers the tools to look at the problem from many different angles. The book offers a "map of violent extremism" drawing connections between twenty---five factors that correlate with violent extremism (VE). On a spectrum, counterterrorism seeks to disrupt, detain, and destroy terrorist plans and networks. P/CVE seeks to prevent and counter the belief systems that support violent extremism. Peacebuilding addresses the longer---term factors and root causes driving VE. An ecological approach to VE recognizes that interventions also interact with each other. For example, some approaches to counterterrorism also motivate further recruitment to VE groups and undermine peacebuilding interventions. Readers finish the book recognizing the debates within the very definition of violent extremism, and understanding a broader paradigm for how we understand and respond to violent extremist beliefs and acts of terror.