This blog deals in general with the issues of political conflict and communication. However, the emphasis is on the Middle East and Israel with additional interest in democracy, conflict resolution, ethnopoliitical conflicts and all related communication matters. The blog should be considered a reasonably balanced resource for anyone interested in these issues. I say “reasonably” balanced because perfect balance is impossible. Moreover, I’m clearly supportive of the state of Israel on the basis of its democracy and market economy as well as its political legitimacy. Nevertheless, I recognize that displacement and destabilization has been heaped upon the Palestinians and their concerns cannot escape any solutions to the problem.

I think it’s important to keep in mind the distinction between “bias” and “perspective.” Bias is a conscious distortion and manipulation, but perspective is a defensible position even if one disagrees with it. I am strongly committed to the principle of a contestory democracy which privileges argument and interactional epistemology over blind commitment to ideology. In other words, communication generates knowledge and insight and is the only way to minimize the differences that separate people. If one is rigidly committed to an ideological position (e.g conservative-liberal), and refuses to budge from this position, then they are behaving contrary to the democratic process and more concerned with their own purity than problem-solving. My regular blog posts will sometimes be simply clear expressions of my own opinion, but other times be a summary or recharacterization of the issues based on the work of others. Blogs allow for an internal reference system and I try to honor those references as fully as possible. I encourage interaction and welcome comments as long as they are civil and as evidence-based as possible. I hope this blog is not only an opportunity for expression and communicative engagement for me, but a learning possibility for others.

Good reading!

FAIR USE
Posts to this blog may contain images and excerpts for the use of which I have not sought prior authorization. Wherever possible I endeavor to provide credit and accurate attribution to authors, artists and copyright holders. All material on this blog is made available for the purpose of analysis and critique, as well as to advance the understanding of politics, political theory and issues in communicatiion. The ‘fair use’ of such material is provided for under U.S. Copyright Law. In accordance with U.S. Code Title 17, Section 107, material on this site (along with credit links and attributions to original sources) is viewable for educational and intellectual purposes.