Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Top Stories

The road from conflict to convergence

book cover

More than ever, Americans need to de-escalate conflict and constructively engage with others to find better solutions to problems. “From Conflict to Convergence: Coming Together to Solve Tough Problems,” a new book by Mariah Levison and Robert Fersh, is an incisive, hands-on guide designed to help citizens do just that.

Fersh is the founder and senior advisor of the Convergence Center for Policy Resolution, a nonprofit organization founded in 2009 to promote consensus solutions to issues of domestic and international importance. Fersh formerly worked for three congressional committees.


Levison is the CEO of Convergence and a seasoned consensus-builder with decades of experience in bringing people together to solve critical state and national issues. She speaks and trains nationally and internationally in settings ranging from communities to law schools to foreign governments to TED Talks.

Convergence has a rich, 15-year history as a pioneer in a distinctive approach to collaborative problem-solving across divides to help solve seemingly intractable challenges at the intersection of national politics and policy. It convenes leaders in their fields representing wildly divergent views with a consistent record of success in building trust, forging consensus and driving meaningful change.

Full of real-life stories and examples, the book presents tried and tested strategies to help a wide array of people negotiate and navigate seemingly intractable conflicts. Readers will learn how to find "higher ground” or mutual-gain solutions that meet the needs of even conflicting groups and people, which in turn can set the stage for longer-term cooperation.

Sign up for The Fulcrum newsletter

Levison and Fersh ask: “How do we treat each other across our differences? Is it with derision, dismissal or avoidance? Or is it with respect, decency and engagement whenever possible? We believe the path to better solutions and a better society will virtually always be found through respectful dialogue. Whether you’re addressing festering family issues, workplace disagreements, thorny community decisions, or contentious public policy challenges, we have enormous — and, in too many cases, unrealized — potential for resolving problems large and small.”

“We want to share our approach because we passionately believe that widespread employment of collaborative problem-solving can lead to a more civil and functional world. Taken to scale, it can be an important antidote to the deepening divides in civic culture. Collaborative problem-solving is a powerful and proven response to the growing doubts in the US and elsewhere that people who see things differently can work cooperatively to achieve important gains.”

In describing the book they go on to say:

“We hope you will take away from this book that collaborative problem-solving is not soft or naïve. It’s not a nice-to-have tool to employ on rare occasions, when conditions are right, or when only courteous people are involved. Rather, integrating the fullest range of needs and interests consistently achieves not-otherwise-possible results while also building positive relationships in the process. In turn, these relationships across differences often engender a virtuous cycle of continued collaboration and constructive results. That’s the big dividend.”

The book is certainly worth a read during these divided times in America.

“No matter how irreconcilably divided we think we are, how much we think we already know the answers ourselves, or how skeptical we are of the “other side,” we can all do a far better job of understanding how other people think; we can all do a far better job of working together to solve problems of mutual concern. Too often, we assume we know how and why others think the way they do and we fail to see the decency and shared aspirations of the people we view as dyed-in-the-wool opponents. Too often we fail to recognize that as smart as we may be, we never hold all the answers for solving tough problems. And too often we react to messengers who may have been strident or unreasonable in how they present their views instead of considering the reasonable arguments and good intentions of those who propose them.

Some people may be too ideological, too committed to hating others based on their identity, or too convinced that only they hold “the truth” to effectively engage with others. But there is ample evidence that most people and groups can find significant common ground and build a sense of community in the process, even when they’ve long been at odds.”

From Conflict to Convergence: Coming Together to Solve Tough Problems is widely available from various booksellers like Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Bookseller. (Disclosure

Read More

Defining the Democracy Movement: Francis Johnson
- YouTube

Defining the Democracy Movement: Francis Johnson

The Fulcrum presents The Path Forward: Defining the Democracy Reform Movement. Scott Warren's interview series engages diverse thought leaders to elevate the conversation about building a thriving and healthy democratic republic that fulfills its potential as a national social and political game-changer. This initiative is the start of focused collaborations and dialogue led by The Bridge Alliance and The Fulcrum teams to help the movement find a path forward.

The latest interview of this series took place with Francis Johnson, the founding partner of Communications Resources, a public affairs organization, and the former President of Take Back Our Republic. This non-partisan organization advocates for conservative solutions to campaign finance reform. A veteran of Republican politics, Francis has been at the forefront of structural reform efforts, including initiatives like ranked-choice voting.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sacred Succession: The Pope's Final Gift to Democracy
a person standing on a sidewalk with a hat on
Photo by Chris Weiher on Unsplash

Sacred Succession: The Pope's Final Gift to Democracy

When the bells of St. Peter's Basilica tolled on Easter Monday, announcing Pope Francis's death at 88, they rang for the world's 1.3 billion Catholics and all of humanity. During the moment of transition for the Catholic Church, we witnessed the conclave, a ritual of power transfer that predates modern democracy yet might offer surprising lessons for our contemporary political moment.

The death of a pope represents more than a religious milestone. It is a moment that transcends theological boundaries, offering insights into how institutions navigate succession, how power transfers in an age of global uncertainty, and how ancient traditions might illuminate modern challenges.

Keep ReadingShow less
Finding Joy in Our Differences: Not As Crazy as It Sounds

Lance and Rodney team up to navigate the rapids of the Nantahala River in western North Carolina

Finding Joy in Our Differences: Not As Crazy as It Sounds

It's no secret that most of us in America find ourselves in a wildly different place these days.

It's a place that some of us might say we barely recognize. I wish I could describe it as being a happier place, but instead, it's a place that seems to have more anxiety, fear, anger, intolerance, and even hatred. It's a place where dialogue is often avoided for fear of igniting a firestorm of controversy. And it's a place where many of us would say that joyfulness is becoming harder and harder to find. It's not surprising, then, that we find ourselves immersed in this unprecedented "epidemic of loneliness."

Keep ReadingShow less
The American Pope

The newly elected Pontiff, Pope Leo XIV is seen for the first time from the Vatican balcony on May 8, 2025 in Vatican City, Vatican.

(Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

The American Pope

Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost made history on Thursday by being elected as the pope, marking the first time an American has been chosen for this role within the Roman Catholic Church. At 69 years old, he has taken on the papal name Leo XIV.

Originally from Chicago, Prevost has dedicated much of his ministry to Peru. His election occurred on the second day of the cardinals' conclave in Vatican City, after four ballots were cast.

Keep ReadingShow less