"This is cooperation. It is community economics. It is survival. It is human diversity finding a way to care for and be careful with the diverse family who inhabit their community."
Early morning breaks across Kathmandu as I write these words. Among the poorest countries in the world Nepal has recently traversed a decade of civil war, achieved a historic peace agreement among the fighting groups, declared itself a Republic, and is days form the deadline when the elected Constituent Assembly has the mandate to deliver a new constitution. It won’t happen on the deadline originally set. In fact it is unclear the peace process will hold. Change never comes easy. And constructive change, justpeace as I would call it, the kind of change that in the midst of human conflict reduces violence and increases justice, requires the hard work of cooperation. Nothing short of finding a way back to the basic notion that we are, after all is said and done, a local and global family.
The Cooperative Solution takes on this challenge in a clear and straightforward manner. The premise is clear enough: A healthy family requires that we work together for our common good…
Lederach, John Paul. “Foreword.” In The Cooperative Solution: Toward a Justice Economy, by Richard C. Williams, vii–x. Lanham, Maryland: University Press of America, 2010.
Reprinted with the permission of Rowman & Littlefield.
An abridged version of the book, The Little Book of Conflict Transformation.
An article describing the emergence and transformative impact of a community mediation program in Nepal.
Thoughts about the challenge of to all of us as leaders when we live in settings of social fragmentation and at the same time are committed to pursue justice and healing in our relationships.