Disrupting Peace

This week, Disrupting Peace is bringing you a bonus episode from our friends at RePROs Fight Back, a podcast fighting for reproductive health, rights, and justice, hosted by Jennie Wetter , who is the Director of the rePROs Fight Back initiative at the Population Institute . In this episode, “ Feminist Foreign Policy: Centering Dignity, Equity, and Justice Worldwide, ” Jennie speaks with Jill Mont...

This week, we’re bringing you a bonus episode from our friends at the “ If You Were in Charge ” podcast. In a world increasingly led by autocratic superpowers, exploiting fear and uncertainty, the premise of if you were in charge is simple: for every major problem out in the world, there are ordinary people finding extraordinary solutions. The episode we’re sharing is “ AI: Anasuya Sengupta on Col...

In our last episode of the season, we explore concrete tools and tips to get smarter about the information we consume. Ebonee Otoo leads the development of social impact strategies and goals at the News Literacy Project . Her career has spanned entertainment, public policy, and community outreach, working with Golden Girl Media, BET Networks and the International Black Women’s Public Policy Instit...

This season, we’ve been looking into the forces that get in the way of accurate information and peacemaking. One theme has repeated across discussions: how AI can muddy the information ecosystem in ways that fuel conflicts. Today, we’re spinning this issue around and asking: how can new technologies and AI benefit peace? Johanna Poutanen is the Head Inclusion and Digital Innovation at the CMI Mart...

At a time when the impacts of climate change are undeniable, why does misinformation about it still work… and what can we do about it? In this episode, Bridget speaks with experts to learn more about the right - and wrong - ways to counter misinformation related to climate change, and how this applies to our greater interest in peacebuilding. John Cook is a senior research fellow with the Melbourn...

What beliefs make people willing to commit violence, and what could change their minds? In this episode, we explore what makes individuals vulnerable to white supremacist beliefs, what it means when extremism becomes mainstream, the surprising permeability of these groups, and how to talk to people in your life who express racist ideology. Peter Simi is a professor of Sociology at Chapman Universi...

How and why do powerful actors use propaganda as a crucial war strategy? In this episode, we see what we can learn from Russia’s use of propaganda in its war with Ukraine, and explore the relationships between misinformation, disinformation, and propaganda. We also look at which communities are least susceptible to war propaganda, as well as what we can do to improve the quality of information we...

Targeting journalists doesn’t only have a devastating impact on individuals, communities, and the possibility of justice. It also limits what we know about conflicts. Nowhere is this more apparent than in Gaza right now. In this episode, we explore the overwhelming obstacles that journalists in Gaza face, why they are being targeted, and what we can do to increase the accuracy of information in th...

In Season 4 of Disrupting Peace, we’re asking how we can dismantle the myths, mis- and dis-information that get in the way of achieving peace. Because we can’t move towards peace if we don’t have a clear picture of what’s actually happening. We’ll look at the spread of war propaganda, the targeting of journalists, how violent ideologies distort people's understanding of facts, what works to debunk...

This week’s episode is from our friends at The Context podcast . Deva Woodly joins host Alex Lovit to discuss the importance of social movements for American democracy and the role they can play at this precarious moment in American political history. We need these networks of trust and coordinated action to push the country away from authoritarianism and toward a democracy that works for everyone...

In our last episode of the season, we see what we can learn from Nepal about the connections between emergency response, peace, and resilience. Staying at the micro level, we closely examine a collaboration between the Nepalese organization Lumanti and the MIT based Urban Risk Lab. One note on this episode: Bridget references "Aceh province" during the opening quiz. To clarify, Aceh province is in...

We’ve all heard the phrase “toxic masculinity”. In this episode, we explore why this isn’t the most helpful concept, and more importantly, how healthy masculinity can increase peace. We dig into what we can learn from successful interventions in Brazil and Colombia, unpack the “man box”, and learn tools for opening up conversations around masculinity, rather than shutting them down.   Gary Ba...

How can we make the world a more peaceful place for children?  In this episode, we look at the impact that experiencing violence has on children…sometimes before they - or their parents - are even born. We’ll learn about how war impacts DNA over generations, explore resilience, and look at global and personal first steps that we can take to make things better for kids around the world. Cather...

How do Gen Z Americans feel about democracy? The short answer: overall they believe in its principles, but don’t feel it’s working for them. In this episode, we explore unique ways that Gen Z is engaging in democracy (and not engaging), and what people of all ages need to do to encourage the next generation of peaceful leaders.   Ruby-Belle Booth is a researcher with CIRCLE, the Center for In...

How can someone help their neighbors and community when a war breaks out? Today we’re seeing what we can learn from mutual aid efforts in Sudan. Omar al-Bashir ruled Sudan for three brutal decades, from 1989 until he was overthrown by a peaceful revolution in 2019. In 2023, a civil war broke out between two warring parties, the Sudanese Armed Forces, or SAF, and the Rapid Support Forces, or RSF. E...

This season we’re looking at the first steps everyday people can take towards peace. And we’re kicking things off by zooming in to something direct and personal that people engage with every day: listening. How can “generous” listening contribute to peace, and what are practical ways to get started? In this episode, we explore concrete ways to have difficult conversations instead of violent reacti...

In Season 3 of Disrupting Peace, we are looking around the world – and here in the US – to explore the very first steps everyday people can take towards peace. We often think of this as something that belongs to policymakers and leaders of armed factions – not to the average person. But this season, we’re diving into the individual efforts we can take to make this world more peaceful. Season 3 lau...

This week’s episode is from our friends at the Feet in 2 Worlds podcast (originally released April 22, 2025): Over the past couple of years, around 40,000 Venezuelans arrived in Denver fleeing political and economic instability, eager to work while their immigration statuses played out. Initially, with help from the city and non-profit organizations, many were able to find stable housing and jobs....

This week we’re bringing back our very first episode, We Thought We Solved World Peace, from September 2024. When host Bridget Conley was a college student in the 90s, there was this air of optimism. It might sound crazy to say now, but she and her colleagues honestly believed they had solved world peace.  In this first episode of Disrupting Peace, Bridget speaks with Yale law professor Sam M...

This week’s episode is from our friends at the Making Peace Visible Podcast . When the Trump administration slashed the budget and suspended most of the staff of the United States Agency for International Development last month, their representatives said the agency was using taxpayer dollars to fund a radical, “woke” agenda around the world. Criticism coming from the Left since the founding of US...

To close out Season 2, we’re talking about the long-term impacts of electing a right-wing populist to office. Silvio Berlusconi transformed Italian government and society, beginning when he was first elected Prime Minister in 1994. In this episode, we’ll explore how Berlusconi legitimized the far-right (even though he himself was a center right politician), why people repeatedly vote for leaders t...

Today we’re talking about academic freedom in higher education. What it is, why it’s at risk, and what’s at stake for democracy when this particular freedom is eroded. We explore why academic freedom is so threatening to existing hierarchies, why it’s so hard to explain academics to a broad audience, and what everyday people are doing to fight for the integrity of higher education. Amy Reid is a s...

What's it like to lead without a military? In this episode, we focus on Costa Rica, and explore what happens when a country abolishes its military, Costa Rica’s approach to domestic security, and the ways that having a military can increase violence and instability in a country…Plus we’ll have our first former president on the show!  Carlos Alvarado Quesada served as President of Costa Rica f...

How does a country rebuild after overthrowing a dictator? On December 8, 2024, armed forces led by Islamist rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham overthrew the Assad regime, which had ruled as a corrupt and brutal dictatorship in Syria for over 50 years. For now, the country is in an in-between phase – what was is gone, but it’s not yet clear what’s coming next. In this episode, we explore what it was...

Sustaining a democracy often looks mundane. It includes managing different stakeholders, crafting policy, debating nuances and compromising. Ending a democracy can be dramatic: and it almost happened on December 3, 2024 when the president of South Korea, Yoon Suk Yeol, attempted to declare martial law during a televised address.  In this episode, we’ll hear a first-hand account of what happen...