Understanding Quality Peace by Madhav Joshi Peter Wallensteen & Peter Wallensteen

Author:Madhav Joshi,Peter Wallensteen & Peter Wallensteen
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Taylor & Francis (CAM)

How truth commissions may contribute to quality peace

Truth commissions indeed take place in imperfect circumstances, after a period of violence and turmoil within a country. However, these institutions have significant potential to address the needs of a nation and the victims who suffered during conflict and thereby contribute to helping society move toward quality peace. In order to accomplish a truth commission’s potential, certain characteristics are vital. First, it is critical that a truth commission is adapted to fit the cultural context of location. As truth commissions are being increasingly created in transitional nations, but with relatively sparse evaluation of their ability to carry out the aims they strive for, they have often been placed into a context based on examples set by previous Commissions, with little change. Although the intent is positive, a truth commission must consider how best to address the needs of the nation in which it is created. For instance, many Commissions endeavor to promote reconciliation, but a majority have not incorporated traditional reconciliation practices into their processes. In Solomon Islands, several individuals interviewed about their experience in the TRC expressed the sentiment that traditional reconciliation was the proper path toward moving on from the past conflict (Guthrey 2015). Reconciliation, based on traditional practices, is a cornerstone of Solomon Islands culture and way of life, thus the lack of inclusion of this concept in the TRC has left some people confused about how their participation in the process, or the process itself, will resolve conflict (Vella 2014; Guthrey 2015). Traditional or indigenous and more Western-based conceptions of reconciliation are not necessarily incompatible, but it is important to consider the ways that people of a particular setting resolve conflict and move past problems in order to make the reconciliation process suitable for their needs.

Second, the experience of trauma during conflict is also an issue that needs to be addressed to encourage long-lasting and sustainable peace. Recently, some truth commissions, such as the Solomon Islands TRC, have begun thinking about addressing victim needs through counseling. For some, this appears to be beneficial, while others feel that Western-style counseling is not appropriate for their culture. To ask victims to participate in psychological counseling that has not been part of the way their society deals with past trauma can be a concept that is foreign and confusing, detracting from the intended aim of such a program. Thus, a critical eye must be cast on how healing and recovery is encouraged in a particular context to ensure that the work of a TRC is not incongruent with traditional practices of moving on after conflict and trauma.

Third, in the majority of cases, a truth commission is created in an attempt to do something to promote post-conflict justice, particularly if the prospect of securing punitive justice against former perpetrators does not look promising. The problem is that many commissions are not actually able to achieve grand results because of lack of time, resources, and restrictions in the mandate. As the transition from conflict

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