The saying goes that the personal is political. But the inverse is increasingly evident: The political is personal. In our layered worlds of journalism, politics, social media, popular culture, and academia, all manner of debate has effectively become part of the zeitgeist.

For several years, on an ad-hoc basis, Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) programs have been in place in various courts throughout New York State.

As technology develops and becomes increasingly refined, human activities and job responsibilities are changing too.  And, in some instances, becoming obsolete.  A computer can beat Chess Grandmaster Garry Kasparov.

News outlets across the globe are rife with accounts of human rights violations. In some instances these violations areattached to non-state actors (whether individuals or organized groups) who, insome manner, abuse or deny individuals their basic human rights, as set outwithin the U.N.’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights and/or various UnitedStates statutes and the Constitution.

As we have discussed here in this space since our first column in 2007, https://nyfamilymediation.com/news/a-mediators-role-as-a-neutral-facilitator/ neutrality is a form of deep connection between the mediator and the parties to conflict.