Making Peace Visible

Making Peace Visible Inc.
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In the news media, war gets more headlines than peace, conflict more airtime than reconciliation. And in our polarized world, reporting on conflict in a way that frames conflicts as us vs. them, good vs. evil often serves to dig us in deeper. On Making Peace Visible, we speak with journalists and peacebuilders who help us understand the human side of conflicts and peace efforts around the world. From international negotiations in Colombia to gang violence disruptors in Chicago, to women advocating for their rights in the midst of the Syrian civil war, these are the storytellers who are changing the narrative. Making Peace Visible is hosted by Boston-based documentary filmmaker Jamil Simon.

  1. 5 days ago

    "The Fight for Haiti" tells the story of a people's movement against corruption (Updated)

    Often the news covers crises without context. That's especially true when it comes to coverage of the Global South in international media.  Our guest this episode, journalist and documentary filmmaker Etant Dupain, gives us a behind-the-headlines look at events in Haiti, his home country. Dupain says that the gangs who control much of the country now are supported by powerful elites. Their aim, his says, is to suppress a grassroots protest movement that is calling for accountability for the embezzlement of billions of dollars in development funds.  Dupain's documentary film, The Fight for Haiti, tells the story of the Haitian movement against corruption and impunity, which started with a tweet and at its height had hundreds of thousands in the street. This episode was first recorded in February 2025, and has been updated.  In this episode, you’ll learn about The problematic history of foreign aid in Haiti including the aftermath of the the 2010 earthquake The Petrocaribe agreement with Venezuela that was supposed to fund crucial infrastructure projects in Haiti Creative tactics activists used to demand accountability Who profits when gangs overtake a country What the end of temporary protective status for Haitians in the United States could mean for Haiti's future  Watch a trailer and learn more about the film and the movement at thefightforhaiti.com. Want to host a screening? Email info@thefightforhaiti.com.  Protest audio used in the episode is from the film The Fight for Haiti, used with permission. Other music in this episode by Xylo-Ziko, Toby Tranter, and Reed Mathis.  ABOUT THE SHOW  The Making Peace Visible podcast is hosted by Jamil Simon and produced by Andrea Muraskin. Our associate producer is Faith McClure. Learn more at makingpeacevisible.org Support our work   Connect on social: Instagram @makingpeacevisible LinkedIn @makingpeacevisible Bluesky @makingpeacevisible.bsky.social   We want to learn more about our listeners. Take this 3-minute survey to help us improve the show!

    33 min
  2. Coming soon! Beyond Polarization, a special series from Making Peace Visible

    3 Jul

    Coming soon! Beyond Polarization, a special series from Making Peace Visible

    Polarization in the U.S. is not just a Washington problem. It also shows up in our newsrooms, our social media feeds, our schools, our dinner tables, and most importantly, in the stories we tell about each other.  That's why Making Peace Visible is launching a new limited podcast series called Beyond Polarization. We're speaking with people from across the political spectrum to break down what these deepening divisions are actually costing Americans — all of us. Across six sectors — journalism, new media, higher education, technology, government, and civil society — we’ll examine where familiar solutions have fallen short, what evidence-based efforts are working, and how trust can be rebuilt in practical, durable ways. Beyond Polarization launches in this feed on July 21 and will include in-depth conversations with:   Harvard professor Julia Minson, author of How to Disagree Better, whose research explores the psychology of conflict and what it takes to engage more productively across political divides. Tina Rosenberg of The Solutions Journalism Network and Sarah Jane Weaver, Editor-in-Chief of Deseret News on the role solutions journalism can play in depolarization. Ethnomusicologist and University of Maryland dean Stephanie Shonekan and John Rose, professor of civil discourse at UNC Chapel Hill, who are teaching college students how to have difficult conversations with dignity.  Larry Rosen, host of The Enemies Project YouTube Channel, and Monica Guzman, host of A Braver Way podcast, on telling stories that unite within an online ecosystem built on division.  Plus technologists, elected officials, community leaders, and more. ABOUT THE SHOW  The Making Peace Visible podcast is hosted by Jamil Simon and produced by Andrea Muraskin. Our associate producer is Faith McClure. Learn more at makingpeacevisible.org Support our work   Connect on social: Instagram @makingpeacevisible LinkedIn @makingpeacevisible Bluesky @makingpeacevisible.bsky.social   We want to learn more about our listeners. Take this 3-minute survey to help us improve the show!

    2 min

  3. 2 Jun

    Disrupting Peace: What leads people to (and away from) violent white supremacy?

    The MPV team is currently hard at work on Beyond Polarization, a limited series where we talk to people who are finding solutions to the increasing polarization we face in the United States. In the meantime, we bring you this episode from our friends at Disrupting Peace, a podcast from the World Peace Foundation about "why peace hasn't worked, and how it still could."  What beliefs make people willing to commit violence, and what could change their minds? This episode explores what makes individuals vulnerable to white supremacist beliefs, what it means when extremism becomes mainstream, the surprising permeability of these groups, and how to talk to people in your life who express racist ideology. Peter Simi is a professor of Sociology at Chapman University, and an expert on extremist groups and violence in the US. Among his many publications, he is co-author of American Swastika: Inside the White Power Movement's Hidden Spaces of Hate, and Out of Hiding: Extremist White Supremacy and How It Can be Stopped. Sara Winegar Budge holds a doctorate in Psychology and is a licensed psychologist in Oregon. She is the Director of US Programs at Moonshot, which builds technology to identify and disrupt organized crime, child sexual exploitation, and trafficking, among other forms of abuse and violence. Her clinical work focuses on individuals who are or have been involved in violent extremism.  Disrupting Peace is produced by Bridget Conley and Emily Shaw. Engineering by Jacob Winik and Aja Simpson. ABOUT THE SHOW  The Making Peace Visible podcast is hosted by Jamil Simon and produced by Andrea Muraskin. Our associate producer is Faith McClure. Learn more at makingpeacevisible.org Support our work   Connect on social: Instagram @makingpeacevisible LinkedIn @makingpeacevisible Bluesky @makingpeacevisible.bsky.social   We want to learn more about our listeners. Take this 3-minute survey to help us improve the show!

    45 min

  4. 28 Apr

    Why US democracy needs 'futures' thinking

    Suzette Brooks Masters is a thought leader, political strategist and Senior Fellow at the Democracy Funders Network. She says that for American democracy to thrive, it's not enough to defend the existing system against attack, because the system doesn’t work well for most people.  She’s been researching ways to invigorate democratic practice, including citizen’s assemblies and participatory budgeting – frameworks that give ordinary people a bigger say in government. And she advocates for storytelling that envisions positive, possible futures.  LEARN MORE Suzette Brooks Masters’ articles for The Fulcrum Imagining Better Futures for American Democracy report Becoming Futures Ready: How Philanthropy Can Leverage Strategic Foresight For Democracy report This episode was originally published in May 2025.  ABOUT THE SHOW  The Making Peace Visible podcast is hosted by Jamil Simon and produced by Andrea Muraskin. Our associate producer is Faith McClure. Learn more at makingpeacevisible.org Support our work   Connect on social: Instagram @makingpeacevisible LinkedIn @makingpeacevisible Bluesky @makingpeacevisible.bsky.social   We want to learn more about our listeners. Take this 3-minute survey to help us improve the show!

    32 min

  5. 31 Mar

    A negotiator's perspective on the Iran war

    The world is missing the perspective of peacebuilders at a critical moment, as we live through this time of one war after another. We need skilled negotiators and mediators who know how to listen to both sides of a dispute and find common ground.   We invited Joshua Weiss to the podcast to help us understand what happened in the negotiations that preceded the Iran war, and how negotiators might bring it to an end.   Josh Weiss is an internationally recognized conflict resolution expert, educator, and author. He is co-founder of Harvard University's Global Negotiation Initiative and Senior Fellow at the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School. He also directs the Masters in Leadership and Negotiation program at Bay Path University, and runs a private consulting firm. And he’s a co-founder of the Abraham Path Initiative, a network of walking trails that connect communities and helps support local economies in the Middle East. Weiss’ latest book is Getting Back to the Table: 5 Steps for Reviving Stalled Negotiations. Explore related episodes: How one Iranian content creator is fighting the information war (February 2026) Reporting from Iran with a bias towards peace (February 2024) Building peace on a walk through the Middle East (June 2022)         ABOUT THE SHOW  The Making Peace Visible podcast is hosted by Jamil Simon and produced by Andrea Muraskin. Our associate producer is Faith McClure. Learn more at makingpeacevisible.org Support our work   Connect on social: Instagram @makingpeacevisible LinkedIn @makingpeacevisible Bluesky @makingpeacevisible.bsky.social   We want to learn more about our listeners. Take this 3-minute survey to help us improve the show!

    36 min

  6. 24 Feb

    How one Iranian content creator is fighting the information war

    For her whole life, Iranian-American actor and activist Nazanin Nour has been calling attention to the distinction between the Islamic Republic – the face of Iran in the news – and the Iranian people. And she’s not stopping any time soon.  In normal times, Nour hosts Iranian diaspora musicians, comedians, journalists and others on her online show Mehmooni with Nazanin. But since mass protests began in December, she's been using social media to amplify the message of the protesters and call attention to the massacre and disappearances of thousands.  She's also calling out others – including news organizations that cover nuclear talks without mention of the government's brutality, social justice activists who are strangely quiet on Iran, and content creators who've taken government-sponsored trips to the country.  Making Peace Visible spoke with Nazanin Nour on February 10, 2026.  Follow Nazanin Nour  Instagram @iamnazaninnour Youtube @nazaninnour Facebook @iamnazaninnour Follow Mehmooni with Nazanin on Spotify Human rights organizations mentioned in the interview Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran / @iranrights Center for Human Rights in Iran/ @centerforhumanrights Iran Human Rights Documentation Center Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions.  ABOUT THE SHOW  The Making Peace Visible podcast is hosted by Jamil Simon and produced by Andrea Muraskin. Our associate producer is Faith McClure. Learn more at makingpeacevisible.org Support our work   Connect on social: Instagram @makingpeacevisible LinkedIn @makingpeacevisible Bluesky @makingpeacevisible.bsky.social   We want to learn more about our listeners. Take this 3-minute survey to help us improve the show!

    34 min

  7. 10 Feb

    A mediator's story of making peace against the odds in Mozambique

    "I’m a pessimist because of intelligence, but an optimist because of will." This aphorism from political philosopher and journalist Antonio Gramsci is one of our guest Neha Sanghrajka’s favorite quotes. When you learn her story, you’ll understand why.  A Kenyan born lawyer, Sanghrajka spent almost a decade in Mozambique mediating a peace process between the country’s president and a guerrilla leader stationed on a remote mountaintop. Sanghrajka and her colleague, Swiss Ambassador Mirko Manzoni, travelled back and forth between the capital of Maputo and the militant headquarters in the remote Garongosa Mountains 45 times – a journey of over 1000 km each way. And when she wasn’t hoofing it up the mountain, Sanghrajka spent many hours just listening to local people, without expectation.  The peacebuilders walked a delicate line. Knowing that previous processes had failed when they were over-exposed to the media, they protected the negotiations from scrutiny. At the same time, they engaged journalists and civil society with the public implementation of the process.  Neha’s story presents a fascinating example of how polarized groups can actually buy into a process of reconciliation, despite major setbacks along the way; and how journalists can report responsibly and critically, while still supporting the aspiration of peace.  Before moving to Mozambique, Neha Sanghrajka worked with former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan during the 2007 election crisis in Kenya and helped facilitate election reform there. She’s now a fellow at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University. Learn more about Neha Sanghrajka Read Sanghrajka and Mirko Manzoni’s report on the peace process in Mozambique Visit the Maputo Accord website ABOUT THE SHOW  The Making Peace Visible podcast is hosted by Jamil Simon and produced by Andrea Muraskin. Our associate producer is Faith McClure. Learn more at makingpeacevisible.org Support our work   Connect on social: Instagram @makingpeacevisible LinkedIn @makingpeacevisible Bluesky @makingpeacevisible.bsky.social   We want to learn more about our listeners. Take this 3-minute survey to help us improve the show!

    37 min

  8. 27 Jan

    AI diplomacy: Can 'peace tech' make the world less violent?

    Public funding for peace efforts took a massive hit with the gutting of USAID last year, and other donor countries have ramped down aid as well, in a world that feels increasingly less safe for many. That’s why our ears perked up when we heard about Brian Abrams, an American venture capitalist who is investing in technology to find solutions to violent conflict.  In the new field of ‘peace tech,’ companies are using AI to predict the likelihood of major events – like military invasions or popular uprisings, and modeling how to prevent violence before it starts. With their ability to process massive data sets from intelligence, journalism and other sources, these tools can also quickly gain insights on what’s driving conflicts on a population level. Important tools for governments and mediators, they also appeal to corporations working around the world – customers who Abrams hopes will bring in revenue to sustain the peace tech sector. And as you’ll hear, he’s very optimistic.  Brian Abrams founded B Ventures Group, a venture capital firm for peace tech, in 2023. Prior to that he was president of Ibex Investors and a managing partner at Row Capital.  Connect with Brian Abrams on LinkedIn.  Learn more about the peace tech companies discussed in this episode:  Anadyr Horizon From Business Insider: Inside the Billion-Dollar War over Peace Tech Transcend AI CulturePulse odr.com ABOUT THE SHOW  The Making Peace Visible podcast is hosted by Jamil Simon and produced by Andrea Muraskin. Our associate producer is Faith McClure. Learn more at makingpeacevisible.org Support our work   Connect on social: Instagram @makingpeacevisible LinkedIn @makingpeacevisible Bluesky @makingpeacevisible.bsky.social   We want to learn more about our listeners. Take this 3-minute survey to help us improve the show!

    36 min
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Trailers

About

In the news media, war gets more headlines than peace, conflict more airtime than reconciliation. And in our polarized world, reporting on conflict in a way that frames conflicts as us vs. them, good vs. evil often serves to dig us in deeper. On Making Peace Visible, we speak with journalists and peacebuilders who help us understand the human side of conflicts and peace efforts around the world. From international negotiations in Colombia to gang violence disruptors in Chicago, to women advocating for their rights in the midst of the Syrian civil war, these are the storytellers who are changing the narrative. Making Peace Visible is hosted by Boston-based documentary filmmaker Jamil Simon.

Information

  • Creator
    Making Peace Visible Inc.
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    104
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © makingpeacevisible.org
  • Show Website
    Making Peace Visible

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