What's the Common Ground? SFCG Mediated Dicussions

This series examines important national and international issues within the framework of finding common ground. Each of the half-hour programs covers a contentious issue. The series departs from the adversarial way public policy issues are normally discussed in the media. Indeed, if the format were more widely used, it could lead to a basic shift in the way Americans think about and act on such issues.

The series does not ignore conflict, but, unlike most public affairs programs which often feature conflict for its entertainment value, the series tries to look beyond disagreements to find common ground.

What’s the Common Ground? segments are available for purchase individually. Each segment is available in English in NTSC or PAL VHS formats. Orders can be placed by contacting Karen Zehr at kzehr@sfcg.org. Payment by check, Visa or MasterCard accepted. In order to recoup our costs, all tapes are $10.00 per tape plus shipping and handling.

Each segment is 30 minutes in length.

Common Security: Common Ground between East and West, Hawks and Doves
This video program takes you on a tour of “new thinking” on defence strategy issues. In this unique documentary, security experts such as former US Secretary of State Cyrus Vance and former Norwegian Defence Minister Johan Holst explain the core ideas: that security cannot be gained unilaterally but when both sides feel secure; that nuclear weapons have become “non-weapons” and therefore fit into a common security structure; that “transparency”, or having the other know your secrets, is desirable in a world in where security is interdependent. The program traces the idea of common security from its launch by the Palme Commission to a model of its use at the Soviet-Norwegian border, to the future, where common security is applied on a global scale.

Serach for Common Ground on Energy
Recall the long gas lines of 1979 and the 1986 depression in America’s energy belt, when OPEC pricing polices collapsed and the domestic oil markets in the Western states were nearly destroyed. Will America be able to withstand another energy crisis in the future? This video demonstrates an effort to ensure that it can. It encapsulates a two-day simulation of National Energy Policy, which begins with a dramatized energy crisis in 1993 setting the state for a simulated Energy Task Force to deal with the problem.

Sixty “real life” top corporate executives, state governors, environmentalists, public interest advocates, and policy makers come together to find common ground on energy policy and to find solutions to the crisis.

The program, featuring former Governor Mike Sullivan of Wyoming, former Governor George Sinner of North Dakota, and former EPA director William Ruckelshaus, highlights many benefits made possible when adversarial groups work together to meet common goals.

National Public Radio’s Scott Simon narrates the program and guides the viewer through the simulation in which former adversaries struggle to create consensus on America’s energy future.

Search for Common Ground on the Middle East
In the Middle East, two peoples share the very same ground and yet their disagreement and apparent lack of sympathy for one another continue to be the most ancient, urgent, and probably most intractable problem between nations.

Guest host Louise Diamond, filmmaker and peace educator, takes us through her travels in the Holy Land. She went to the Middle East, not so much to discover and spotlight the problems which afflict the people living there, but to expose some areas of agreement, or common ground. Ms. Diamond introduces the viewers to two families, one Palestinian, the other Israeli-Jewish, who put forth their thoughts and concerns over this seemingly never-ending conflict.

Although they may strongly disagree on the means to a solution, both wish for peace.

What's the Common Ground on Abortion?
This program features a mediated discussion between Kate Michelman, former President of the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL), and Dr. John Wilke, former President of the National Right to Life Committee.

What's the Common Ground on Gun Control?
Beyond the harsh rhetoric, there is common ground on gun control. This program matches Wayne LaPierre, former Executive Vice President of the NRA, and the late Pete Shields, co-founder and former chairman of Handgun Control, Inc. After a dramatic presentation of the history of the debate, mediator John Marks guides the two men toward clarifying their positions and discovering areas where compromise is possible. While significant disagreements remain, the two guests agree on the desirability of keeping guns out of the hands of felons; they both support instantaneous background checks; and they back anti-crime legislation. Their agreements put forth the possibility that the two sides can take positive steps together to make progress on an explosive national conflict.

What's the Common Ground on Euthanasia?
The question of the “right to die” puts the most profound of all personal decisions into the public debate. Should the incurably ill be allowed to choose death? Should the plug be pulled on life support systems? Who should decide? Is this murder?

As our population ages, euthanasia is an increasingly compelling issue. The guests on the this program are Daniel Callahan, former President of the Hastings Center, and William Batt of the Hemlock Society who, together, search for common ground. Mediator John Marks guides the two sides towards areas of concurrence and possible cooperation in this disputed question.

What's the Common Ground between Traditional and Alternative Ways of Treating Cancer?
Cancer—the terrifying disease that will afflict 1/3 of all Americans. Since Nixon’s declaration of war on cancer in 1971, tens of billions of dollars have been spent on research. There has been some progress, but more Americans than ever are dying of cancer. Are treatments such as chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation the only answer or are there alternatives—group therapy, herbal remedies, meditation? The two guests are experts on cancer and its treatment. Best-selling author Dr. Bernard Siegal of Yale Medical School stresses the connection between psychological well-being and cancer treatment; Dr. Zalman Arlin of New York Medical College favours the traditional medical approach. John Marks, an expert in conflict resolution, leads the discussion in an effort to find common ground on treating cancer.

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