| REZUMAT: |
The end of protracted armed conflicts or the end of a period of
atrocities and human rights abuses committed by (military, authoritarian)
governemnts is usually brought about by external intervention (which
could initiate a process of mediation) or by the peace process (including
negotiations, post-conflict peace building mechanisms and measures, and
diplomatic peace making efforts). However, the mere signing of a peace
agreement and the launching of a complex peace process do not
automatically induce nationwide reconciliation. As shown by Marie-Joëlle
Zahar, “peace agreements are in essence elite pacts” and the
implementation of peace is first and foremost a political process.1
Reconciliation, on the other hand, is a rather societal process. It touches
upon all individuals’ lives after the conflict ended and it is not based on a
political decision (to agree with a ceasefire or to commit to negotiations),
but on an emotional, psychological readiness to tackle the past, the
traumatized self, and the relation with the other. |
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