The Process of Reconciliation

1. The Process of Reconciliation Dynamics of Reconciliation – Week 3 Dr. David Tombs

2. The nature of post-Cold War Conflicts • Escalation in intra-state conflicts • Increase in ‘identity-based conflicts’ with ethno-nationalist dimension • Significance of religion in identity-based conflicts • Difficulty of community separation post-conflict

3. Duration of the Reconciliation Process • Sustainable reconciliation is likely to be a long-term process. • As a rule of thumb the time for reconciliation will take at least as long as the conflict.

4. Stages in the Reconciliation Process Luc Huyse suggests 3 stages of social relationship in a reconciliation process • Co-existence – replacing fear • Trust – building confidence • Empathy – reaching out in understanding Bloomfield et al., Reconciliation After Violent Conflict, pp. 19-33 (esp. 19-21).

5. Components of ReconciliationJohn Paul Lederach • Truth • Justice • Mercy • Peace John Paul Lederach, Building Peace: Sustainable Reconciliation in Divided Societies (Washington DC: United States Institute of Peace Press, 1997), pp. 24-31.

6. Comp0nents of ReconciliationLuc Huyse • Healing • Restorative Justice • Truth-telling • Reparation Luc Huyse, ‘The Process of Reconciliation’ in D. Bloomfield et al. (eds.), Reconciliation After Violent Conflict: A Handbook (Stockholm: IDEA, 2003), p. 19.

7. Components of ReconciliationJoseph Liechty • Truth • Justice • Forgiveness • Repentance

8. Discussion questions • What do you see as the strengths and weaknesses of Lederach’s framework? • Where might the different mechanisms and dynamics reinforce each other and where might they be in tension? • Do any of the frameworks of Huyse or Liechty have significant advantages or disadvantages when compared to Lederach?

9. The Context of ReconciliationThe Nature of the Conflict The need to understand the nature of the conflict (including its extent and duration) and the social divisions that it has fed on and will leave behind as legacies.

10. The Context of ReconciliationThe Nature of the Transition The need to understanding the nature of the political transition, including: • its completeness, political stability and the balance of power • the formal peace agreements and new structures that accompany it • the level of wider public support

11. The Context of ReconciliationThe Political and Social Context The need to understand the political and social ‘context’ of the conflict, the transition and the reconciliation process, including: • Economic factors • Geographical factors • Ethnic factors • Gender factors • Religious factors • Cultural factors

12. Assessing Reconciliation Initiatives • Does the initiative see reconciliation as a process or state, and how does it bring the dynamics of reconciliation together? • Which level(s) does the initiative work at (and what is happening at that level in the local context)? • Which part of the spectrum of reconciliation does the initiative address?