An Expert in Violence Explains the Path to Peace (with Lord John Alderdice)

When I was writing my book The Loop, I was looking for experts in the ways we misunderstand one another, and several people pointed me at this week’s guest. He and I had an hourlong phone conversation, and while he undoubtedly doesn’t remember it (but is too polite to say so), for me it was a deeply formative experience.

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Lord John Alderdice grew up the son of an Irish presbyterian minister in and out of Belfast, and has been a psychiatrist, a politician, and a researcher into violence and peace. His work on the Good Friday Accords helped to end the troubles in Northern Ireland, and he’s been a trusted source of insight and scholarship for those seeking an end to violence in dozens of conflicts around the world ever since.

In this week’s episode, he discusses the deeply misunderstood power of really and truly listening, over long periods of time, in correcting disturbed historic relationships and setting them back on a path toward peace, and our conversation is a very interesting accompaniment to my interview with John Patty and Elizabeth Penn about the frailty of democracy from a few weeks back.

Lord Alderdice is refreshing not just for his optimism that we can find a way to peace, but because that optimism is based in decades of hard experience pursuing it. I hope you enjoy it.

00:00 Introduction to the Rip Current

01:16 Meet Lord John Alderdice

02:25 Understanding Honorifics and Titles

06:19 Growing Up in Northern Ireland

11:28 The Path to Psychiatry and Politics

18:17 The Good Friday Accords

23:05 The Complexity of Historic Conflicts

33:26 The Role of Statesmanship in Conflict Resolution

38:23 The State of Global Institutions

38:47 Career in Conflict Research

39:23 Middle East Peace Process Challenges

42:53 Research on Palestinian Perspectives

45:57 Young People and Radicalization

51:29 Cultural Perspectives on Individualism vs. Community

01:04:36 Historical Context of British Aristocracy

01:18:00 Exploring Irish Presbyterianism

01:19:37 The Role of History in Understanding Politics

01:20:17 From Medicine to Politics

01:22:17 Political Leadership and Negotiations

01:24:41 The Good Friday Agreement

01:25:40 The Importance of Relationships in Politics

01:27:32 International Perspectives on Conflict

01:53:31 The Role of Apologies in Healing

02:05:33 Reflections on Leadership and Conflict Resolution

02:07:04 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

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