Our Publications

Listed here are a variety of items produced by Search for Common Ground or from sources affiliated with Search for Common Ground. We permit the re-publication of any of our materials that are not copyrighted, as long as attribution is given to Search for Common Ground.

Strengthening Work at the Nexus of Arts, Culture and Peacebuilding
On November 8, 2011, Search for Common Ground, the Program in Peacebuilding and the Arts at Brandeis University and the Alliance for Peacebuilding convened a gathering at the United States Institute of Peace to explore how work at the nexus of arts, culture and peacebuilding could be strengthened. Seventeen people attended with ties to academic institutions, non-governmental organizations and national and international organizations in both the arts/culture and peace sectors. This report summarizes the conversation and highlights action steps for strengthening work at the nexus of arts, culture and peacebuilding. [more]

A Guide for Professional Journalism in Conflict Zones
A manual and practical guide for journalists working in conflict situations has been developed and produced, based on a two year intensive project run by the Jerusalem office of Search for Common Ground. The project engaged Palestinian and Israeli senior and mid-level media professionals in a process of enrichment, skill development, interaction, networking and dialogue for the purpose of in-creasing the awareness of the role they play in reporting on the Arab/Israeli conflict and on how that reporting influences the public. Our goal is to share the learnings from the participating journalists, and the project as a whole, in the hope that it will benefit others in the region and around the world who are grappling with the crucial job of reporting news, particularly in times of conflict. [more]

Communication for Peacebuilding: Practices, Trends and Challenges
In January 2011, Search for Common Ground was supported by USIP to convene a group of experts to map current practice, identify key challenges and trends in the field of Communication for Peacebuilding. The outcomes of these discussions, together with further research, are presented in the Report, Communication for Peacebuilding. Practices, Trends and Challenges. This work supports the new USIP Priority Grant Program, Communication for Peacebuilding, that was launched in March 2011. For questions concerning this work, please contact the author, Nick Oatley, Director of Institutional Learning at Search for Common Ground noatley@sfcg.org.

Changing Course: A New Direction for U.S. Relations with the Muslim World
Changing Course represents the consensus of an exceptionally diverse, senior, bipartisan and inter-faith group of 34 American leaders who have worked together to build consensus on a comprehensive approach to improving U.S.-Muslim relations. The Leadership Group has crafted a multi-faceted strategy to enhance U.S. and international security. Their work was supported by Search for Common Ground and CBI. Robert Fersh, then Executive Director of Search-USA and Co-Director of the U.S.-Muslim Engagement Project, played a central role in conceptualizing and implementing this initiative. [more]

DM&E Manual: Designing for Results: Integrating Monitoring and Evaluation in Conflict Transformation Programs
This manual is the first of its kind to focus on the particular needs of the conflict transformation field. It addresses the many challenges faced by conflict transformation practitioners in their attempts to measure and increase the effectiveness of their work with practical tips and examples from around the world. [more]

Mediation Manual - Arabic PDF (17MB)
This manual, aims at providing basic information on knowledge, skills and attitudes essential to becoming a mediator. This handbook will be a helpful tool for those starting starting an exciting journey toward becoming a mediator.  The manual is written in Arabic, and was published in 2009.

Radio Talkshows for Peace Building - A Guide
This guidebook is about radio talkshows and conflict. Conflict is a primary subject in the media. It dominates news reports and fills up radio talkshows. In fact, radio talkshows feed on conflict. Presenters and producers who are hungry for listeners often seek guests of wildly opposing views to shout at eac

h other on the air. These voices may attract an audience, but do such programmes achieve anything else? This book is aimed at talkshow presenters and producers. It is a guide to exploring the questions: what else can we do, and how Copies may be downloaded from www.radiopeaceafrica.org

Talk-shows radio pour construire la paix - un guide
This guidebook is about radio talkshows and conflict. Conflict is a primary subject in the media. It dominates news reports and fills up radio talkshows. In fact, radio talkshows feed on conflict. Presenters and producers who are hungry for listeners often seek guests of wildly opposing views to shout at each other on the air. These voices may attract an audience, but do such programmes achieve anything else? This book is aimed at talkshow presenters and producers. It is a guide to exploring the questions: what else can we do, and how? Written by Ross Howard and Francis Rolt, SFCG, 2005. Copies may be downloaded from www.radiopeaceafrica.org.

Strategic Choices in the Design of Truth Commissions
A society emerging from a regime marked by grave and serious violations of human rights faces the complex challenge of how best to deal with the past. The establishment of a Truth Commission has helped several countries through this process. A collaboration of the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School and Search for Common Ground, the report is designed to help build a Truth Commission that fits the unique needs of leaders and decision makers. We have organized the leading research on past Truth Commissions to enable designers of future Commissions to identify the critical factors and potential solutions relevant to their societies.Copies may be downloaded from www.truthcommission.org