海角大神

Decades of dam building had decimated migratory fish populations that had long sustained local wildlife and people on the Penobscot River. After years of contentious battles, local stakeholders struck a deal. Today, for the first time in 200 years, river life is rebounding. And the power company has not lost any hydropower generation.

At Seeds of Peace, we bring kids from conflict zones together to learn to see each other and their differences in a new light. Now, our first generation of alumni are emerging as leaders of their societies and leveraging their experience to build peace.

Neither a barrage of facts nor a sense of civic duty alone will make people reexamine their positions. As we've learned at The Village Square, civil discourse requires friendship, humor 鈥� and irreverence.

Arab nomads in Darfur have organized interlocking conflict resolution networks to address local disputes before they escalate. Their work could help bring lasting peace to a region plagued by violence. But it requires stronger international support to fulfill its promise.

On an arctic island 250 miles from the nearest Siberian village, US and Russian scientists are collaborating on wildlife research. Their work proves: Conservation transcends geopolitics.

Myanmar holds the key to improving the lives of millions within its borders and beyond.聽With international support, it must work to promote social unity and empower and protect minorities. Then it can be an example for a region that has too often failed to uphold pluralist norms.

People of all stripes 鈥� whether green-living gurus or thrifty penny pinchers, conservatives or liberals 鈥� want to use less energy. Now, technology and behavioral science are giving them the tools to do it.

For a radical progressive who once harbored negative stereotypes about folks on the right, it was a turning point for me: Though Sean Hannity or Sarah Palin and聽I disagree profoundly on politics 鈥� they're personable, kind, and human. If you want to persuade people, you can鈥檛 demonize them.

Addressing a sensitive past will let these two key democratic powers secure a tense region 鈥� and US interests. President Obama's sit-down with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean President聽Park聽Geun-hye聽may have been the start of a needed rapprochement.

When any country enters a transition out of war or dictatorship, its citizens are full of hope that their leaders, economies, and societies will change. Yet too few transitions deliver.聽As seen in post-apartheid South Africa, the key to democratic transitions is political and social inclusiveness.

Supposedly the public's inability to face the realities of Social Security makes it a 'third rail' for Congress. But when a recent survey presented Democratic and Republican voters with policy options, the majority聽clearly agreed on solutions to end the Social Security shortfall.

To fix New Haven鈥檚 failing schools, the teachers union and mayor forged a rare compromise 鈥� a model for聽school districts and unions across the country in how to confront major challenges facing public education, without blaming each other, resisting change, or fighting in the streets.

Bringing peace to conflict-torn South Sudan will require more than negotiated cease-fires and UN aid. Key community leaders 鈥� especially women activists and church pastors 鈥� must work for local unity.

The Geneva II peace talks on Syria set to begin next week should lay the groundwork for a diplomatic deal to end the country's three-year civil war. In spite of differences,聽Russian, US, and Iranian strategic interests can align, but Iran must be allowed to play a role in negotiations.

The Murray-Ryan bipartisan budget deal was possible because of several key elements. The same approach must be applied to solving America鈥檚 ongoing, divisive fiscal problems.

This history of bipartisan compromise between President Reagan and then-House Speaker Tip O'Neill couldn't be more relevant today. A message to Patty Murray and Paul Ryan as they forge a budget deal: the beauty of compromise is that its worst aspects can be blamed on the other party.

In Nigeria, where the Islamist militant group Boko Haram is sowing terror, an imam and a pastor team up to preach religious tolerance. The two men are former leaders of militias that once battled each other. Then they discovered forgiveness. Now,聽their story is a tool of persuasion.

Winning over House Republicans based on Senate pressure and worry over the Latino vote won鈥檛 work. The case for reform must be argued on its merits.

To hear聽Congress tell it, their constituents are demanding they take extreme positions and not compromise. But聽as I see it from Dallas, Texas, where I鈥檓 a blue liberal in a sea of red, regular working people have no problem cooperating with those who hold opposing views.

No state has yet found a perfect solution to gerrymandering 鈥� the partisan drawing of voting districts that favors parties and incumbents. But reform efforts in states and cities point to an answer: independent redistricting commissions that rely on public input for drawing maps.