Reconciliation, Justice, and Coexistence: Theory and Practice

Mohammed Abu-Nimer, editor
(New York: Lexington Books, 2001), 361 pages, US$29.95 (paper), US$80.00 (cloth)

Within the relatively young field of conflict resolution, an abundance of literature has been produced that addresses such related topics as post-war reintegration and the role of memory, among many others, in addition to the classical concepts of negotiation, mediation, and collaborative problem solving. The unfortunate steady supply of conflict around the world has given rise to many intellectual inquiries, and has motivated practitioners and academics alike to explore new conflict resolution paradigms and develop fresh theoretical frameworks in a relentless search for answers. The following are among the questions to be addressed: How can a society devastated by war and internecine fighting be reintegrated? What would it take to constructively address the role of memory and encourage coexistence between warring communities? How central is the role of justice in post-violence reconciliation? The answers to these and many other questions continue to elude researchers and practitioners. Even more delicate is the link between the concepts of reconciliation, justice, and coexistence.

The volume under review, Reconciliation, Justice, and Coexistence: Theory and Practice, is a serious attempt to bring concrete answers to some of the aforementioned questions. As the title indicates, the essays examine the concepts of reconciliation, justice, and coexistence separately and then attempt to identify the invisible links between them. The authors address these questions from both theoretical and practical perspectives, and provide fresh ideas for readers to contemplate. Though the book offers cases from around the globe, the emerging message is abundantly clear: there is no uniform model of reconciliation that can be applied across the board. As one author states, "There is no panacea. ... [No single approach] is capable of handling the complexity of the "after violence" situation, healing so many kinds of wounds, closing the violence cycles, and reconciling the parties to themselves, to each other, and to whatever higher forces there may be."

The book includes essays written by an impressive group of academics and practitioners who are recognized as authorities in the field of conflict resolution and transformation. The first part of the book explores theoretical frameworks in order to explain the changing aspects of reconciliation, justice, and coexistence in postwar societies. The authors emphasize and reiterate one important message: that healing past history and addressing psychological wounds is a necessary part of any peace process. This could be achieved through ritual reconciliation, high profile political gestures, integrated efforts between state institutions and civil society, or a combination of these approaches.

The theoretical section includes examples of the effectiveness of apologies, religious reconciliation, and other practices that have made a difference in the recent past for societies emerging from conflict. Policy makers and practitioners are urged to draw on rituals, religion, and social-psychological processes to deal with the emotions, perceptions, and feelings represented in a peace process. This constitutes a provocative departure from the rational or realpolitik model hitherto employed by diplomats.

The second part of the book provides practical cases from Africa, Europe, Cambodia, and Israel to illustrate the challenges and successes in applying a new paradigm of conflict resolution that emphasizes reconciliation, justice, and coexistence between warring communities. This section offers valuable lessons on the long road traveled by peace builders having gathered lessons on what has and has not worked. It offers a realistic assessment of how much work remains ahead of practitioners in their effort to translate into practical reality some of the theoretical frameworks offered in the previous section. Some of the challenges that practitioners face lie in the definition of justice, reconciliation, and other similar concepts; or in finding the balance between the two concepts. Peace process parties' resistance to change and the fear of losing power are other fundamental challenges that practitioners often face when intervening in a peace process.

This book is a powerful reminder that there is a long way to go to bridge theory and practice, but also that some of the academics and practitioners in the field have made immeasurable progress. It offers valuable distinctions between the often-interchangeable terms of justice, reconciliation, and coexistence and emphasizes that there is no easy solution. No matter what the desired outcome of a peace process is, it takes time and relentless commitment to make it work. In the end, success resides with the people and their willingness to change and transform their relationships.

The book offers a welcome insight into the importance of healing and peace building, and provides new theoretical frameworks for peacemakers to follow. As one of the contributors states, "the intractability of ethnopolitical conflict has stimulated the search for innovative and more effective methods for its management and resolution." The cases outlined in the book illustrate how we can apply these new methods and address the potential challenges peacemakers face. The cases are heavily influenced by African examples with the marked absence of the Latin American experience in post-violence peace building and the Middle East, with the exception of one case from Israel. One would hope to see more cases from these two regions in the future. (Oussama Safa)

Copyright 2004 Search for Common Ground