Monday, June 21, 2010

potential of peaceful culture

I have read an article in Handbook of conflict communication, its title: ‘Historical, political, and spiritual factors for conflict: Understand conflict perspectives and communication in the Muslim world, China, Colombia, and South Africa.*


This article mentioned the core conflict of the Muslim world, China, Colombia, and South Africa and cultural attitude toward constructive conflict resolution. I enjoyed it.


We have not like these articles in Iran and we did not essay and study about our conflict core in our culture. I think our culture has good potentials for peace and conflict management and we should concentrate on these aspects of our culture!


* Oetzel, J. G., Arcos, B., Mabizela, P., Weinman, M., & Zhang, Q. (2006). Historical, political, and spiritual factors for conflict: Understand conflict perspectives and communication in the Muslim world, China, Colombia, and South Africa. In J.G. Oetzel & S. Ting-Toomey (Eds.) The Sage handbook of conflict communication. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. (invited).

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Unrest Magazine

I’ve seen and read some of these short articles!

That’s so good!

You can find another here and know more things!

Issue zero brings together a diverse range of writers, pieces, and themes to apply the first layer of what will hopefully become a vibrant future for Unrest Magazine. The magazine is broken up into a number of sections, which can be accessed using the tabs at the top of the screen. The Features section contains shorter articles relevant to current events and practices related to peace and conflict studies. Discourse comprises longer, more academic style articles. Under the Banter section readers will find book and movie reviews, along with shorter opinion style pieces. Right Hemisphere (R Hem) provides space for creative responses to the complex challenges facing the planet today. Voices is our place for Q&A with academics, practitioners, and other interesting people. Finally, The Editorial Cell (The E.C.) is Unrest's blog. While each issue of Unrest is published quarterly, The Editorial Cell is updated frequently. Unrest's editors and collaborators use the blog to respond in real time to events taking place worldwide.

A downloadable pdf version of each issue will be available shortly after the magazine's web publication for those interested. See the Collaborate section if you are interested in submitting a piece for our next issue or helping with the magazine.

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Useful Media Sites for News About Conflict and Peace

This short posting will highlight some of the key peace media and related sites that you may find useful in obtaining information. Obviously, not all sites listed below are impartial, but they do provide useful information and perspectives.

1) International Crisis Group - The International Crisis Group is now generally recognised as the world’s leading independent, non-partisan, source of analysis and advice to governments, and intergovernmental bodies like the United Nations, European Union and World Bank, on the prevention and resolution of deadly conflict.

2) Search for Common Ground - Founded in 1982, Search for Common Ground works to transform the way the world deals with conflict - away from adversarial approaches and towards collaborative problem solving. Search is one of the pioneering organizations in developing and producing peace media around the world through their Common Ground Productions Unit which their media arm. Using television, radio and Internet programming, CGP transforms the way individuals and societies deal with conflict: away from adversarial approaches, towards cooperative solutions. Whether countering "hate radio" in Africa or hate crime in the United States, Common Ground Productions is dedicated to harnessing the power of the media for peace. The organization also maintains the Common Ground News Service which is an independent source of news and opinion that disseminates fresh, solution-oriented articles to promote constructive dialogue on Muslim-Western relations and the Arab-Israeli conflict.

3) Transnational Foundation for Peace and Future Research and TFF News Navigator - TFF is an independent think tank, a global network and a website for peace by peaceful means. It inspires a passion for peace from the grassroots to the corridors of power. TFF is an all-volunteer global network. It promotes conflict-mitigation and reconciliation in general and in selected conflict regions through meticulous on-the-ground research, active listening, education and advocacy. TFF also maintains the News Navigator - 300+ mainstream and alternative media in one place.

4) Global Voices - is a leading participatory media news room for voices from the developing world. Since its founding in 2005, Global Voices has grown into a vibrant global community of more than 150 active volunteer authors and translators and more than 20 freelance part- time regional and language editors. Today, Global Voices is thriving, vital component of the global media environment, helping individuals and media professionals around the world gain access to the diverse voices coming from citizen media. We base our coverage on the words, images, and videos of ordinary people across the globe who use the internet to communicate and broadcast their thoughts, analysis, and observations.

5) Peace Media Clearinghouse - A New Multimedia Resource for Peacemakers developed by the United States Institute of Peace and Georgetown University. The clearinghouse provides a central site where individuals and organizations working in the conflict management field can access materials that support conflict analysis and prevention, conflict resolution, and post-conflict reconstruction and reconciliation. At the same time, the site will encourage development of the field itself by distilling best practices for creating and using multimedia in support of conflict management activities.

6) Youtube - is the leader in online video, and the premier destination to watch and share original videos worldwide through a Web experience. YouTube allows people to easily upload and share video clips on www.YouTube.com and across the Internet through websites, mobile devices, blogs, and email.

7) Alertnet - is a humanitarian news network based around a popular website. It aims to keep relief professionals and the wider public up-to-date on humanitarian crises around the globe. AlertNet attracts upwards of ten million users a year, has a network of 400 contributing humanitarian organizations and its weekly email digest is received by more than 26,000 readers.

8) Transcend Media Service - Part of the Transcend Network. The site provides original reporting that seeks to go beyond the usual questions, “How many were killed today?” and “Who is winning?” to ask two additional ones: “What is this conflict about?” and “What are possible solutions?”

9) Institute for War and Peace Reporting - builds democracy at the frontlines of conflict and change through the power of professional journalism. IWPR programs provide intensive hands-on training, extensive reporting and publishing, and ambitious initiatives to build the capacity of local media. Supporting peace-building, development and the rule of law, IWPR gives responsible local media a voice.

10) BBC News - Premier site of UK's leading news agency.

11) Al Jazeera English - the 24-hour English-language news and current affairs channel, is headquartered in Doha, the capital of Qatar. The organisation is the world's first global English language news channel to be headquartered in the Middle East. From this unique position, Al Jazeera English is destined to be the English-language channel of reference for Middle Eastern events, balancing the current typical information flow by reporting from the developing world back to the West and from the southern to the northern hemisphere.The channel aims to give voice to untold stories, promote debate, and challenge established perceptions.

12) Ode Magazine -s a print and online publication about positive news--the people and ideas that are changing our world for the better. Ode's aim is to bring a new reality into view, to explore opportunities for positive change (including peacemakers) in our daily lives and our daily minds. You can sign up for a free daily newsletter of positive news. If you would like to subscribe to the magazine, there is a special rate for members of the Peace and Collaborative Development Network (currently only for people in the US), see http://www.odemagazine.com/pcdn

13) International Center on Nonviolent Conflict's New Digest - The International Center on Nonviolent Conflict is pleased to circulate this daily selective digest of world news related to past, present and potential nonviolent conflicts, including active civilian-based struggles against oppressive regimes, nonviolent resistance, political and social dissidence, and the use of nonviolent tactics in a variety of causes. We also include stories that help readers glimpse the larger context of a conflict and that reflect on past historical struggles.

14) PeaceMaking News Portal from the Center for Humanitarian Dialogue - The Peacemaking News Portal is a sophisticated web-based tool designed to help people interested in conflict resolution easily filter through the vast amount of information on the internet to reach the most important and timely information.
source: ***

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

they were successful in loge path of the peace

I think that Nine activists- four of them Turkish- who died when Israeli commandos boarded the six-ship convoy early on Monday, knew if they go, will die! But they went! They went for peace and they went for fight with war.

Yes, Israel has deported more than 120 foreign activists detained after a deadly raid on an aid flotilla trying to break its blockade of Gaza.

But I think these peace activists were triumphant with their blood and their vision were successful in loge path of the peace!