Building peace through systemic compassion

• Author: Susan H. Allen,Daniel Rothbart
• Published date: 01 June 2019
• Date: 01 June 2019
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/crq.21249

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Building peace through systemic compassion

Daniel Rothbart

1

| Susan H. Allen

2

1

Program for the Prevention of Mass Violence,

School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution

(S-CAR), George Mason University, Arlington,

Virginia

2

Center for Peacemaking Practice, School for

Conflict Analysis and Resolution (S-CAR),

George Mason University, Arlington, Virginia

Correspondence

Daniel Rothbart, School for Conflict Analysis and

Resolution (S-CAR), George Mason University,

Vernon Smith Hall, MSN: 4D3, 3351 Fairfax

Drive, Arlington, VA 22201-4426.

Email: drothbar@gmu.edu

More than an individual emotion experienced by conflict

resolution practitioners, compassion constitutes a primary

norm of the field of peacebuilding. Three domains of

peacebuilding practice are showcased: first, the human

rights agenda of the United Nations, second, the practices

of everyday peace, and third, the strategies among profes-

sionals of interactive conflict resolution. Motivated by the

compassion-related programs in these domains, we pro-

pose that peacebuilders develop strategies that are

intended to foster compassion among the conflict parties.

The notion of systemic compassion is introduced and

illustrated with examples within current practice.

1|INTRODUCTION

Hatred, fear, repulsion, enmity, and humiliation—these emotions define relations among actors of

many protracted violent conflicts. Yet, emotions among conflict actors are not limited to the realm of

conflict agitation. Certain positive emotions are critical to reversing a conflict's downward spiral. In

this article, we focus on compassion as central to the work of peacebuilding. Going beyond the obvi-

ous psychological point that many individual practitioners in this field are personally motivated by

their compassion for the suffering of vulnerable population groups, we argue that certain forms of

practice give primacy to the norm of compassion. Recent findings in the moral psychology of emo-

tions are presented below: findings on the nature of sympathy, empathy, and compassion for the suf-

fering of others. In particular, psychologists have documented that such emotions can be induced in

ways that prompt positive, pro-social, interactions.

Our objective in this article is not to correct conflict resolution practices per se. We seek, rather,

to reflect upon and promote certain forms of compassion-motivated practices. We begin with a case

study of one peacebuilding initiative regarding the conflict between Georgians and South Ossetians

(Section 2). After summarizing certain critical developments in experimental psychology about com-

passion (Section 3), we examine three forms of peacebuilding practice that give prominence to pro-

moting compassion among the conflict actors. These practices center on, first, the human rights

agenda as adopted by the United Nations (Section 4), second, certain bottom-up practices of everyday

Received: 17 July 2018 Revised: 10 January 2019 Accepted: 14 February 2019

DOI: 10.1002/crq.21249

© 2019 Association for Conflict Resolution and Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Conflict Resolution Quarterly. 2019;36:373–386. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/crq 373