Institute For The Future

Future of Peacebuilding

For 10YF 2013 I wrote a forecast on new networks of nonviolence that need to be strengthened to combat networks of cross-border violence, from cyber wars to illegal arms brokers and 21^st century terrorism.

Shifting characteristics of violence from intrastate to cross-border networks requires entirely new structures based on new partnerships and collaborations across sovereign nations, civil society, and even business. 

In the space left open by failing international agreements and the high cost of traditional military and policing solutions, civil society will become elevated to a new level of importance. Re-imagined as a network of nonviolence, we will become nimble enough to keep up with cross-border criminal networks.

This forecast is just the beginning, a thinking piece and a provocation.

I’m looking forward to continuing the conversation during the Build Peace conference at MIT’s Media Lab on April 5 and 6.

The conference will also be a soft launch of a new partnership with Build Peace and IFTF. As a follow up to the conference we plan to run a Foresight Engine game on the Future of Peacebuilding. This collaborative brainstorming platform will help us generate a collective understanding of the future of peacebuilding that considers a wide array of disruptions and opportunities, as well as different perspectives, voices, and narratives.

Our aim is to not only ensure global representation in the game, but to bring in peacebuilders by default, individuals living in conflict who have been struggling to foster peace within their own communities. It’s an exciting opportunity to once again push the boundaries of digital game play into the physical world through face-to-face interactions that will bring the voices of the people we work to protect, but rarely strategize with, into the conversation.

If you’re interested in learning more, or want to contribute, email me at [email protected]