Why is it so difficult to hold multiple perspectives in conflict, especially when identity, history, and trauma are involved?

In this episode, conflict negotiator Naseem Khuri explores the psychology of conflict through the lens of Israel–Palestine and, later in the episode, polarization in the United States. Drawing on his professional work and personal history, he examines how people interpret the same reality in fundamentally different ways, and why conflict is often something to be managed rather than resolved.

The conversation addresses intergenerational trauma, competing narratives of loss and displacement, the danger of certainty, and the role of process in creating conditions for understanding. It also explores the limits of empathy in active conflict and the importance of building structures that allow people to be heard without requiring agreement.

This episode offers a psychological perspective on conflict, identity, and polarization—both in international contexts and in everyday human relationships.

Hosts: Eric Spiegel and David Alter

Guest: Naseem Khuri

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