Peaceful Means of Resolving Political Conflicts in the Pre-Qin Period and Their Historical Influence

Chinese people have had a long tradition of loving peace and promoting the idea of harmony since ancient times.Drawing on their specific social and cultural basis,many politicians in the pre-Qin period tried to use peaceful means to resolve contradictions,ease conflicts and unite allies.In order to properly handle the complex political,military and diplomatic relations between different political bodies,they considered other important options as well as violent means like war,accumulating rich experience.The most typical of those peaceful means included political solutions,political marriages,simplification of rituals to accord with local customs,and oaths and covenants.Unlike violent tactics such as war,which had an overwhelmingly negative impact on the populace and society,these peaceful means did everything possible to alleviate the suffering of the people and reduced the cost of social progress,and thus played an important role in facilitating ethnic integration and national unity.On the basis of these peaceful means,governments under the centralized system after Qin and Han dynasties came up with new models:heqin(和亲;a sort of marriage alliance,the historical practice of Chinese emperors marrying princesses—usually members of minor branches of the royal family—to rulers of neighboring states),jimi(羁縻;“loose rein,”also known as jimi fuzhou,an autonomous administrative and political organizational system used in China between the 7th and 10th centuries),hushi(互市;a special kind of tributary trade,usually between the states occupying the Central Plains and those founded by border peoples along the boundaries)to deal with the relationship between central and regional regimes(especially those set up by border peoples).Summarizing historical experience,learning from the wisdom of the ancient Chinese in resolving political conflicts,and carrying forward the fine traditions of the Chinese nation is of great practical significance.

Victimization, Empathy, and Breaking the Cycles of Violence in Israel and Palestine

Victimization narratives arise out of the experience of historical and ongoing injury, and often intersect or, in part, constitute identity narratives. Unless transformed through reconciliation, these narratives can be used to mobilize violent behavior aimed at restoring justice or preventing further victimization. Victimization narratives arise from lived experiences, whether by contemporary generations, or through intergenerational narratives, charging the present generation with the task of ending present or preventing future injury. Those experiences, however, can be mythologized or distorted, particularly when appropriated in support of an ideological agenda. Cycles of violence, therefore, cannot be ended in a sustainable manner unless victimization narratives are transformed and cycles of violence disrupted. This is the work of conflict transformation and sustainable post-conflict democratic institution-building. Since the present global political landscape is made up of thousands of identity or communal groups living in just under two hundred states with complicated histories of intergroup conflict and historical injury, most, if not all states are to some degree post-conflict societies. This article examines both victimization experiences and narratives through the eyes of peace activists and leaders who work in a binational capacity with Jewish Israelis and Palestinians. Hundreds of peace organizations active in Israel and Palestine, this project focuses on those specifically directed toward opening and cultivating spaces for empathetic engagement across the lines of identity. These include, for example, the Abrahamic Reunion, Breaking the Silence （Indigenous Defense Fighter （IDF） Veterans offering witness testimony on the human rights violations under the occupation）, the Bereaved Families Forum, and Combatants for Peace. This article reports preliminary findings from four of 26 interviews conducted with binational peace activists during the summer of 2016.

Gladiators in the Corporate Political Arena： Reforming A Top Management Team

This case describes the top management team＇s transfer of power and change in the Wuhan Company of Zhong Yin Real Estate Group （ZY-REG）. The company experienced acquisition of Haitian and ZY-RE~ introduction of the Wanke management team, the general manager＇s loss of control over the company, aggravating conflicts among executives, and abuse of power by a clique of managers. The new general manager Yang Ling took actions to reform and transferred power and responsibilities of each executive in the management team, withdrew power from his opponents, and standardized the decision-making process. The management team＇s rebuilding was finally completed in June 2008, and the Wuhan Company was then back on track soon after.