Peace Talks Radio

On this edition of Peace Talks Radio, we’ll take a look at hostage negotiations. From criminal kidnappings to political pawns, hostage taking is a tragic business that captivates news readers and fills the plots of thrillers, and - as we've seen recently - it's often a core element between nations at war. But far from the dramatic scenes played out in movies and series, what is actually happening behind the scenes? How do hostage negotiators build rapport and trust and come to agreements with kidnappers? And how are these same tactics useful in lower stakes negotiations? Recent research supports the common sense hypothesis that some people have personality traits that make them better negotiators than others. Individual differences matter. But these traits are possible to change or develop through practice. We’ll hear about this research and how we can use it to improve how we perform in and feel about negotiating. We’ll also hear how a hostage negotiator and former hostage used these tactics in real life. Danielle Preiss talks with three guests who are deeply familiar with hostage situations and negotiations from three different perspectives. Dr. Hillary Anger Elfenbein, is a professor at the Olin School at Washington University and researches negotiation from the level of buying a car to negotiation for release of hostages. Sue Williams is a hostage negotiator who led the Kidnap and Hostage Negotiation Units for the Metropolitan Police in London. And Thomas Olsson was held hostage by Jabhat Al-Nusra, the Al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria, for one and a half years.

It's a compendium of highlights from just one season in the long-running award-winning PEACE TALKS RADIO series. You'll hear clips from our series about "Reconciling Estrangement", "Homelessness Through a Peacemaking Lens", "Flipping Extremists to Bolster Peace", "Peacemaking in Relationships Amidst Health Challenges", "Truth and Reconciliation Commissions", and more.

On today's episode, correspondent Priyanka Shankar talks to songwriter, speaker and author David LaMotte, who wrote WORLD-CHANGING 101: CHALLENGING THE MYTH OF POWERLESSNESS and John Lawrence Graham, the author of the book CHARLOTTE'S WAR to understand each writer's views on peace, war, creative nonviolence and community peace-building in today’s world. Complete coverage on this and 250 other episodes in our series online at https://peacetalksradio.com

On this edition of Peace Talks Radio, we explore the incredibly common yet largely undiscussed topic of estrangement. In a national survey, almost 30 percent of American adults reported cutting off contact with a family member. And 1 in 10 reported they’d cut off contact with either a parent or a child. Yet, despite how common it is, people who are estranged from friends or family often experience profound feelings of grief, loneliness and uncertainty. Estrangement can be both voluntary and involuntary, with some making the decision to end a relationship and protect themselves, and others feeling blindsided but someone else's choice. There are many roads to estrangement and just as many to reconciliation, yet neither are ever guaranteed, and that’s okay. Individuals who find themselves on a journey of estrangement should first pause to accept their true feelings, ground themselves in their core values and desires, and then begin to seek out empathic and open communication first with self and then with the people and communities they may find themselves estranged from. Julia Joubert speaks to American voiceover artist and comedian, Tina Marie, an adult child estranged from her father, and to Seattle-based podcaster, and estrangement and reconciliation coach, Kreed Revere, who was once estranged from her two daughters. And she speaks to Dr Aileen Fullchange, a licensed psychologist, certified school psychologist, and speaker.

On this edition of Peace Talks Radio, we’ll take a look at transitional justice through Truth and Reconciliation Commissions. We’ve looked at the topic of transitional justice in a 2021 episode, but now look at different examples of Commissions around the globe. From the most famous historical example of the Commission established to investigate abuses under the Apartheid era in South Africa, we’ll look at the evolution of the tool in countries like the Gambia and Colombia following conflict and transitions of power. A new trend is emerging of western democratic states establishing Truth and Reconciliation Commissions to look at historical abuses against indigenous and minority populations. Australia, Canada and Greenland have all concluded such Commissions in recent years. But we’ll take a deep dive into the Commission process in Norway, which is completing in 2023. From the mid-1800s to late in the 20th century, Norway forced assimilation of the indigenous Sámi population through an official “Norwegianization” policy. Traditionally reindeer herders across the Nordic region, the Sámi were forced to give up their own culture and language, particularly through a system of residential schools for Sámi children. Now, Norway is confronting the harms under that policy and its lasting legacy. Danielle Preiss talks with three experts who study transitional justice processes and their evolution including Dr. Elin Skaar, research professor at the Christian Michelsen Institute in Norway, Ereshnee Naidu-Silverman, Program Director of the Global Transitional Justice Initiative at the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience, and Dr. Gloria Ayee, a political scientist and lecturer at Harvard University.

On this edition of PEACE TALKS RADIO, we explore what the sudden onset or revelation of an illness or disorder means for a relationship, be it familial, friendship or romantic. This change can be incredibly frightening, bringing with it emotions like fear, anger, guilt and deep sorrow. These are all valid emotions. Individuals in such situations may have to make a choice either to stay through the sudden change, or to leave a relationship that is no longer serving them or the other. But it is how we communicate these thoughts and feelings that is crucial in ensuring moving forward in a non-violent, respectful way. This applies both to communication with oneself, and with others. If you do not know what you want, why you want it, or even really understand how you feel - how will you know how to choose or explain a choice to those around you? Correspondent Julia Joubert talks with Adrian and Claudine de Villiers, a couple who have been navigating the introduction of addiction and Bipolar into their 17-year marriage. Also she visits with Dani van Zyl, a woman living with POTS and other chronic illnesses who is reckoning with the isolation that her illnesses bring. And we talk with Emonie Carter-Hale, a systemic and family psychotherapist, specializing in trauma, boundaries, family conflict and coping skills.

On this edition of PEACE TALKS RADIO, we’ll explore the challenges surrounding conflicts around cultural appropriation. Cultural appropriation involves adopting elements from a culture or identity that’s not your own in a way that may be harmful, stereotypical, or exploitative. The lines are harder to draw between cultural appropriation and appreciation. The world is a global village and cultures are constantly interacting, borrowing, remixing, and evolving. However, in case of appropriation, there usually is a one-way transfer, in terms of pleasure, or income and opportunity— sometimes irking the other side. So how do we learn about and enjoy other cultures without appropriating them? When are we truly simply showing appreciation of something tied deeply to another culture? Correspondent Yamini Ranjan explores multiple examples of cultural appropriation with three guests who offer insights on how we can find peace & joy when we are interacting with traditions that don’t come from our own lived experience and heritage. Our panel includes Claudia A. Fox Tree, Harpinder Kaur Mann, and Dr. Eve Dunbar.

A threat of both international and domestic terrorism has been a constant in our world for decades now. Radicalization of individuals to practice such terrorism has been identified as one of the key reasons behind these attacks forcing governments around the world to focus on countering terrorism through deradicalization. On this PEACE TALKS RADIO episode, correspondent Priyanka Shankar talks to our guests about what drives people into joining terrorist groups and how counter-terrorism efforts are trying to flip extremists to bolster peace. Why should we care about these efforts, and what role, if any, can WE play in such efforts? We will hear from Pieter Van Ostaeyen, a Belgium-based independent analyst on jihadist groups worldwide. Also, Elizabeth Pearson, a Lecturer in Criminology with the Conflict, Violence and Terrorism Research Centre at Royal Holloway, University of London. And Mubin Shaikh, a former extremist, who will help us understand how he helps young people get deradicalized.

On this edition of Peace Talks Radio, talk about what it means to be an ally to members of marginalized communities, and the necessary discomfort that comes with growing our awareness about our participation in oppressive structures in society, and how we can all be both the oppressed, as well as the oppressor. Correspondent Sen Zhan speaks with three DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) practitioners: Agnieszka Bua, Amaka Ohia-Nowak, and Kevin Groen.