HG understandings and the Russian–Ukraine War

The latest issue of the New England Journal of Public Policy features a powerful article by John Bell, director and also a founder (along with Ivan Tyrrell) of The Conciliators Guild, which focuses on the importance of understanding innate human needs and patterns of group behaviour in politics. The article explores, through an HG lens, the underlying motivations behind the Russia–Ukraine war and uses these to point possible ways forward.

As he writes, “Conflict resolution often focuses on material interests or trust building rather than the core psychological needs of the sides. Mapping the key emotional red lines of parties and addressing them creatively may offer new opportunities for peace.” ¹

He states that the ideas in the article are inspired by “an approach to wellbeing called Human Givens that was pioneered in the UK” and references an article by Ivan Tyrrell called “Psychological Dimensions of Peacemaking”, published in the same journal in 2021.² The current article also references The Charter of Human Needs in Politics, written by Ivan Tyrrell and published by The Conciliators Guild this year.

John is a mediator with over 30 years’ experience in Middle East conflict resolution. He served as a UN and Canadian diplomat in Beirut, Cairo, and Jerusalem and has worked with Search for Common Ground, the Toledo International Center for Peace, and the European Institute of Peace, among other such organisations.

1 John Bell (2025) “Understanding the Underlying Motivations of the Russia-Ukraine War,” New England Journal of Public Policy 37, no 1. Article 12, https://scholarworks.umb.edu/nejpp/vol37/iss1/12

2 Ivan Tyrrell (2021), “Psychological Dimensions of Peacemaking,” New England Journal of Public Policy 33, no. 1. Article 7, https://scholarworks.umb.edu/nejpp/vol33/iss1/7/.