February 24, 2025
When we think about conflict, it’s easy to divide the world into winners and losers. We’re taught to root for the protagonist, cheer for our team, and stand with those we feel are “in the right.” But when it comes to the real world—where communities, nations, and individuals intersect—the stakes of conflict transcend simple binaries.
At Search for Common Ground, our work centers on a concept called multipartiality. It’s a principle that goes beyond neutrality, insisting on active inclusion and empathy for all sides of a conflict. But multipartiality demands that we ask an uncomfortable question: Who loses if I win?
