ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book starts with a Pedigree spot from BBDO ad agency in New York. The spot was produced and aired during one of the most heated phases of the 2016 US election campaign. The book provides analytical and practical insights into effective strategies on how to overcome social divisions before they turn into disruptions. It explains the mechanisms that are important for mediative interventions, such as the golden retriever in the clip mentioned above, to reconnect polarised social groups and to settle public conflicts. The book also provides advice to substantially improve current public policy-making and dispute resolution and raises awareness on existing blind spots. It draws the reader along a journey to better understand the origin of social divisions, their translation into public conflicts and the relevance of effective conflict resolution in democratic decision making, before one's societies become entirely dysfunctional.
