Truth and Reconciliation Commission Processes: Learning from the Solomon Islands (Peace and Security in the 21st Century) - Softcover

Brounéus, Karen

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1538158744 ISBN 13: 9781538158746

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2021

Synopsis

After war, does truth telling lead to more peaceful attitudes between former enemies? This book is the first to study the over-time effect of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) process on people’s attitudes towards peace. Focusing on the Solomon Islands TRC process, one of the least known or studied TRC processes in the world, and using surveys, focus groups and in depth interviews, the book reveals some critical issues for peacebuilding. For example, while support of the TRC was consistently quite strong over the two years of the study, there was a sharp decline in trust in the process as well as a significant increase in distrust and suspicion towards ex-combatants over the two-year period. The book shows that the ex-combatants did not feel safe to tell the truth in the TRC and had therefore decided beforehand what to say in the hearings. A systematic telling of untruths thereby took place, severely undermining relationships and peacebuilding in the country. The book weaves the findings from the Solomon Islands with experiences of other post-conflict truth telling process around the world, and suggests practical guidelines for future TRC processes after war.

About this title

About the Author

Karen Brounéus is a clinical psychologist (Uppsala University, 1998) and PhD in Peace and Conflict Research (Uppsala University, 2008). Her research focuses on truth and reconciliation processes after civil war, and the psychological aspects of these processes. Other research interests and publications concern gender and armed conflict, the psychological health of soldiers returning from peace operations, using field experiments to evaluate inter-ethnic dialogue programs, and ethics in peace research. Her work has been published in journals such as Journal of Peace Research, Journal of Conflict Resolution, Security Dialogue, and Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society.

Edition details

• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
• Publication date: 2021
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1538158744
• ISBN 13: 9781538158746
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 142