Racism, oppression, global warming―our world seems to be mired in complex, intractable issues with no clear way forward. But maybe we are looking for a light at the end of the wrong tunnel? We may be looking to resolve our differences and find solutions to our problems too quickly, when instead we need to deepen and intensify our conflicts and prepare for an extended effort to confront the systems that have created and perpetuated them. The message at the heart of The Neutrality Trap is that the wisest and ultimately most effective way to deal with our most profound problems is to avoid the lure of easy solutions or premature peace. We need to reach out across our differences but we also need to disrupt the forces that sustain the exploitation of people and the environment. Holding the tension between connecting and disrupting is crucial if we are to confront the social issues we face. We need to engage and talk with one another, but for real change to happen, we also need the wake-up calls of disruption and disorder.

Authors Bernard Mayer and Jacqueline N. Font-Guzmán are highly acclaimed conflict specialists whose stories, experiences, and research make this book a rewarding read for anyone serious about confronting our most daunting problems. They challenge all of us to embrace the potential we have to further social progress and caution us to be aware of the danger of reflexively calling for dialogue without also recognizing the necessity for disrupting regressive systems and building social movements. Reflecting on their own experiences as mediators and activists and drawing on the lessons of historic and contemporary social movements, they present a guide for how both disruption and dialogue are essential, if at times uneasy, allies in the struggle for social progress.

The Neutrality Trap helps readers to understand the deep issues of power, privilege, and identity in our contemporary societal conflicts. Those who want to be both agents of change and promoters of peace can learn how to address issues of race, gender, and colonialism. The authors ask us to reconsider our reliance on neutrality, objectivity, and professionalism and instead commit ourselves to justice, equity, and genuine connection. Readers will come away from this remarkable read with a sense of why conflict endures, how the systemic roots of oppression are perpetuated, and how we can “get into good trouble” by disrupting the status quo and becoming leaders and allies for change.

Praise for The Neutrality Trap

“Jackie Font-Guzmán and Bernie Mayer describe their journeys as intervenors and activists through truth telling and fiercely honest self-examination. This book challenges us to learn how to balance conflict and cooperation to achieve real, sustainable social change.”
―Colin Rule, CEO, Mediate.com and Arbitrate.com

“A valuable resource for any practitioner serious about disrupting structural racism.”
―Cheryl L. Jamison, JD, Former Executive Director, Association for Conflict Resolution

“Font-Guzmán and Mayer guide us on how to avoid the neutrality trap, engage in meaningful dialogue, and prepare to endure conflict.”
―Rafael Gely, JD, PhD, James E. Campbell Missouri Endowed Professor of Law, University of Missouri School of Law

“An engaging, thought-provoking, and inspiring exploration of the ways we can use conflict resolution practices to engage enduring conflicts that require transformation rather than settlement.”
―Jayne Seminare Docherty, Executive Director of the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding at EMU

“With wisdom and compassion, Font-Guzmán and Mayer give us a framework for understanding today’s polarization and a road map for moving forward. They model the honesty and vulnerability we all need to function in that intersection of conflict resolution and social justice reform.”
―Lucy Moore, Author of Common Ground on Hostile Turf

“The Neutrality Trap makes me very hopeful for the future, and I believe it will encourage more people to step up and take an active role in the fight for systemic change.”
―Moya Mcalister, Board Director of the Black Women of Forward Action (Windsor, ON)

“With remarkable frankness and humility, the authors reflect on their experiences to look at how often we stand behind the comfortable shield of neutrality, and in so doing, fail to deal with unjust systems that create and perpetuate harm.”
―Susanne Terry, Editor and contributor, More Justice, More Peace: When Peacemakers are Advocates

“Mayer and Font-Guzmán take readers beyond easy prescriptions into difficult, necessary, and fruitful ways to engage and support structural social change. Read this book to change your mind. It can change your neighborhood. Read this book to change the world.”
―Michelle LeBaron, Professor and dispute resolution scholar, Peter A. Allard School of Law, The University of British Columbia