Wiser World

In this episode, I interview Professor Brett Scharffs, the director of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies at BYU. His extensive bio is found here. He joins the show fresh from speaking at the UN Human Rights Council — where he was invited to evaluate a landmark unanimous resolution on building cultures of peace. His central argument is that human dignity is the bedrock beneath all of it — the universal concept that makes human rights, religious freedom, and peaceful pluralism possible across wildly different cultures and ideologies. Brett is one of the most thoughtful guests we've ever had on the show, and I loved learning from him.

Transcript for this episode.

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Timestamps:

00:00 — Introduction: The UN resolution on cultures of peace and how Brett got involved

03:30 — How Brett's work in religious freedom led him to human dignity as a universal bridge-building concept

05:40 — Defining peacemaking — Brett's perspective alongside definitions from previous guests

07:49 — The UN Human Rights Council resolution on cultures of peace explained

10:31 — The Punta del Este Declaration, Eleanor Roosevelt, and how human dignity made the UDHR possible

23:33 — AI through the lens of human dignity: dignity-enhancing vs. dignity-degrading uses of technology

29:52 — The components of a culture of peace: virtues of the head, heart, and hand

42:01 — What kills cultures of peace — and the leaders who don't want it

53:37 — Why secular institutions overlook religious actors in peacemaking (and why that's a mistake)

1:04:11 — Brett's closing thoughts: none of us are powerless, and where his hope comes from
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Lebanon has been in the headlines for months — but the real story goes back 3,000 years. In less than an hour, get the context you've been missing: Phoenicians, civil war, Hezbollah, and how all of it leads to today.

This is a brief, approachable history of Lebanon for those who know little to nothing about it. Please keep in mind that this is not comprehensive, just a jumping off point for further learning.

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Sources used in making this episode.
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What does negotiation have to do with peacemaking? Turns out, A LOT. Stan Christensen has spent decades negotiating in over 75 countries — between governments, ethnic groups, and armed factions — and he joins Wiser World to bring that hard-won wisdom down to earth. We talk about why conflict avoidance creates more conflict, how trust is built and broken, what skilled negotiators do differently, and why Stan believes there is no such thing as an intractable conflict. This one will change how you see every difficult conversation in your life.

Check out Stan's podcast "All Things Negotiation" to learn more about negotiation.

Transcript for this episode.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 – Introduction & Stan's background

02:57 – What is negotiation, really?

04:10 – How negotiation and peacemaking differ

05:33 – Inside peace negotiations: what actually happens in the room

06:59 – What separates skilled negotiators from unskilled ones

09:27 – "Conflict avoidance leads to conflict"

10:20 – The key skills: curiosity, inquiry, and the orange story

14:41 – How trust is built (and broken)

17:32 – Why negotiation is never really a one-time thing

20:37 – How culture shapes negotiation (Colombia & France stories)

32:27 – The power of questioning your own assumptions

35:52 – There is no such thing as an intractable conflict

37:41 – The Peru-Ecuador story: finding common ground

40:50 – A seven-element framework for preparing to negotiate

44:56 – Reframing conflict as "creative problem solving"

48:41 – Negotiating with someone who has more power than you

53:04 – The role of emotion in conflict resolution

55:35 – "Go to the balcony": how to avoid getting emotionally hijacked

59:19 – Why we all under-apologize — and why it matters

1:02:25 – Apology at the macro level: why politicians won't do it

1:05:35 – What gives Stan hope

1:07:21 – Stan's one takeaway for listeners

For Wiser World:

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Today we explore the stories of five MORE impactful peacemakers throughout the world: Wangari Maathai, José Ramos-Horta, Mohandas Gandhi, Rigoberta Menchú, and Mairead Corrigan. Their stories are inspiring and very human, and I hope you enjoy learning about them as much as I did.

Find additional resources, ad-free episodes, bonus episodes, and support the podcast at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon.com/wiserworldpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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In this episode, I sit down with Sanam Naraghi Anderlini — peace strategist, founder of the International Civil Society Action Network and one of the architects of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 — to talk about what it actually takes to build lasting peace. We cover the research behind women's inclusion in peace processes, how a scrappy international coalition got a landmark resolution passed at the UN Security Council, why women's unique approach to peacebuilding is a superpower rather than a liability, and what ordinary people can do right now when the architecture of international peace feels like it's crumbling.


00:00 — Introduction to Sanam Naraghi Anderlini


01:20 — Sanam's origin story: the Iranian Revolution, Rwanda, and South Africa


05:06 — The 1998 women in war zones conference that changed everything


10:04 — Defining peacemaking and peacebuilding


14:23 — The story behind UN Security Council Resolution 1325


26:27 — The four pillars of Resolution 1325 explained


30:07 — Has 1325 worked? An honest assessment 25 years later


34:57 — Why is there still so much resistance to women at the peace table?


42:32 — How ICAN finds, trains, and supports women peacebuilders worldwide


51:17 — Women's unique role in understanding and countering radicalization


1:00:57 — What cutting international aid and multilateralism means for this work


1:09:48 — What sustains Sanam — and what ordinary people can do

You can find Sanam's podcast "If You Were In Charge" anywhere you get your podcasts.

For Wiser World:

Find additional resources, ad-free episodes, bonus episodes, and support the podcast at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon.com/wiserworldpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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