Peace Talks Radio

For those interested in peacemaking, an ideal conference might include dozens of peace workers throughout the world, gathered together for a week of panels and conversations. In 2010, such a gathering took place. Not in a physical space but in the virtual world of the internet. Using teleconference technology, The Shift Network and The Peace Alliance teamed up to bring 75 peace luminaries to the w...

In 2010, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Liu Xiaobo, the Chinese literary critic, writer, professor, and human rights activist who called for political reforms in China. Currently incarcerated as a political prisoner in China, he was unable to attend the peace award ceremony. We talk with poet Jeffrey Yang who is editing a collection of Xiaobo's poetry to learn more about the prize winner's l...

It's been a great year at Peace Talks Radio. We looked at peace endeavors in U.S. prisons, highlighted the “Peace Through Music” project, and examined international efforts to protect human rights defenders in global conflict hot spots. We also talked with leading thinkers in conflict resolution, like William Ury, Daniel Goleman and Rick Hanson, and asked a panel how we can make peace with Mother...

When you visualize the National Mall in Washington, DC, what do you see? Perhaps stately buildings like the US Capitol or the Smithsonian castle. Or, perhaps you see some of the monuments and memorials that remind us of conflict and war, for example, the World War II, Korean, and Vietnam war memorials. Even the majestic monuments to Washington and Lincoln are reminiscent of wars that our country f...

Massasoit was the leader of the Wampanoag Confederacy when English settlers landed at Plymouth Rock in 1620. He and his people kept the Pilgrims from starving in the early years of their settlement, attended the first Thanksgiving and forged a peace treaty with the English that lasted 40 years until his death. We'll talk with American Indian scholars Darius Coombs and Bob Charlesbois who'll fill i...

PEACEMAKING AFTER A DIVORCE - In the U.S., about 50% of all marriages end in divorce. Divorce is often described in the language of war. The ex-spouses battle over possessions and children. Attorneys look for ammunition. The warring partners burn bridges, plunder bank accounts, and drop bombshells. In a sense, the script is already written for us. Divorce is a civil war in a family. But does it ha...

AFTER THE TOXIC SPILLS: MAKING PEACE WITH NATURE. When the British Petroleum Deepwater Horizon Oil Rig exploded in April of 2010 and set off the largest accidental marine oil spill in history, virtually everyone viewing the disruption - to wildlife and the lives of people in that region - was devastated. Here at Peace talks Radio, we guessed that the event probably set off an inner conflict in man...

Do you work to transform destructive conflict into cooperation? Can you take the "Third Side" in the conflicts around you even when you’re a party to the conflict? The "Third Side" looks at conflict not just from one side or the other but from the larger perspective of the surrounding community, or “third side.” This time on Peace Talks Radio, host Suzanne Kryder talks with Dr. William Ury, co-fou...

This time we talk with young people to hear their ideas about what it takes to make peace and resolve conflict. Second to fifth grade students have a lot of good ideas as it turns out. We talked with a diverse group of 15 youngsters who were attending Sunday youth activities one morning at Albuquerque's First Unitarian Church. We also visited with three teen members of KUNM's Youth Radio Project:...

On this edition of Peace Talks Radio, two men – Greg Mortenson and Dr. Mohammad Khan Kharoti- who firmly believe that the path to relieving suffering, reducing conflict, and promoting peace in the troubled and chronically war-torn country of Afghanistan is by building schools. Schools for young Afghan boys and especially for young Afghan girls for whom education and basic literacy has been denied....

Peace Talks Radio, the series on peacemaking and non-violent conflict resolution, features Jane Davis of Hope-Howse. In December 1993, Jane was asked to be a media witness at an electric chair execution in Georgia. She says witnessing the execution made everything inside her go "haywire." She writes, "This isolated act of killing another human being...left no alternatives. It took away all hope."...

17 million views on You Tube to date. That's the number of times the unique rendition of the song "Stand By Me" has been seen on the internet. The song featured contributions from street musicians and indigenous performers around the world, all playing to the same basic track recorded in Santa Monica, CA by music producer and engineer Mark Johnson. The good vibe from the collaboration inspired a w...

Despite ongoing turmoil and conflict in our world, there are still people who are working for peace. Listen for the annual compendium of highlights from the Peace Talks Radio series on peacemaking and nonviolent conflict resolution. Listeners will hear about the Dalai Lama's commitment to peace, John Lennon and Yoko Ono's peace work, peace lessons from the annual Rainbow Gatherings and from intern...

Kim Rosen, author of the book Saved by a Poem, talks about how people struggling with personal conflict can find peace, comfort and perspective in the words of poetry and song. She also sees a role for poetry in international negotiations that address conflict on a broader scale. Also on the program, Sarah Wilkinson tells about the Peace Pal Project which connects school children in different part...

This time we explore the question, will managing the world's overtaxed water supply lead to more conflict or actually be a compelling catalyst to peace? The fact is that, so far, cooperation rather than conflict over water is the norm around the world. That's according to Oregon State University Professor Aaron Wolf, co-author of the book Managing and Transforming Water Conflicts, who's been facil...

In 1516, Sir Thomas More published the book, “Utopia,” a word he coined for an ideal, imaginary island nation. His book describes a perfect socio-political-legal society that’s free of poverty and suffering. Even though utopia comes from Greek words meaning “no place” and indicates that More considered it an impossible goal, groups throughout history have tried to create idyllic, peaceful communit...

This time on Peace Talks Radio, we explore a program that transforms troubled neighborhoods into more peaceful, secure places through art, learning, land transformation and economic development. Host Carol Boss speaks with Lily Yeh, co-founder of two organizations dedicated to re-building communities: The Village of Arts and Humanities, Inc. and, more recently, Barefoot Artists, Inc. In North Phil...

On this special edition of Peace Talks Radio, we recall the several years when musician John Lennon and his wife, performance artist Yoko Ono, were among the most high profile peace advocates on the planet. John was shot dead outside his apartment in New York in 1980 – 11 years after he wrote the song that – since its creation in 1969, has been a fixture at just about any gathering for peace. Give...

2009 marks the 50th anniversary of the Dalai Lama's exile from Tibet. On this program, Suzanne Kryder talks with Tibetan scholar Dr. Robert Thurman, author of the book Why The Dalai Lama Matters: His Act of Truth as the Solution for China, Tibet and the World. Also featured is Pico Iyer, author of The Open Road: The Global Journey of the 14th Dalai Lama. Listeners will also hear excerpts from the...

Peace Talks Radio, the series on peacemaking and nonviolent conflict resolution, explores the peace message in the hugely popular original 1960's TV series - STAR TREK. A new Star Trek movie was released in May 2009 that revisits the stories of Capt. Kirk, Spock, Bones and the characters from the original series. This episode ot Peace Talks Radio notes how many stories in the original series thoug...

In this two-part program, Peace Talks Radio salutes "Peacemaking Elders"- people who, well into their eighties, are still working for peace. Our guests in Part One are Juanita Nelson and Ruth Imber. Juanita and Wally Nelson were among the first to take the step of refusing to pay taxes to the government because they did not want their tax dollars to go to military spending. Starting in 1948, they...

January 20, 2009, newly inaugurated United States President Barack Obama declared a new era for American leadership in promoting peace on the planet, but how likely is it that he'll play the role of peacemaker as president? During the campaign, he pointed to his early opposition to the war in Iraq, while talking tough on other international fronts. While he's said it's important for the U.S. to ta...

A popular program for the holiday season, Seeking Peace on Earth: The Peace Talks Radio Special reminds listeners that there ARE people who are actually pursuing peace and offering ideas how to reduce conflict in our lives. The program is a compendium of compelling moments from recent episodes of Peace Talks Radio, the series on peacemaking and nonviolent conflict resolution. On this show. listene...

In an in-depth conversation, James Douglass, author of "JFK and the Unspeakable: Why He Died and Why It Matters", spells out his theory that the 35th President was the victim of a murder conspiracy and that he died because of his peacemaking policies. He tracks Kennedy's transformation from a hawkish anti-Communist to someone who helped save the world from nuclear war by establishing back-channel...

Whenever election season rolls around, conflict between political camps really heats up. Differences over whom to support can even put friends and family members at odds with each other. Undecided voters may authentically be at odds with themselves. And it's often those undecided voters who swing close elections. In the month's leading up to election day, each candidate's campaign workers are tryi...