Sunday, March 24, 2019
International Tribunal Courts, Truth Commissions, and Reparations Commi
I. IntroductionNo one can possibly cover or ignore the overwhelming amount of mass atrocities that took place during the ordinal century. From the Great Purge orchestrated by Stalin in the former Soviet Union to the Holocaust of World War II led by the Nazis, South Africas apartheid, Argentinas Dirty War, and the play of terror, repression, and torture used by many military regimes, not to elevate Rwandas Genocide (Minow, 1998, p. 1). More surprisingly, these unspeakable and horrifying events took place during the gone century. However, such unforgettable atrocities helped to raise consciousness among the international community, which led to the defining of needed international norms to protect, avoid, and prevent similar atrocities from ever happening again. In addition, several mechanisms were developed by the international community with the finality to repair, reconcile, and quest for perpetrators. Such mechanisms include International Tribunals, Truth Commissions, Repar ations, among others (Minow, 1998). But, how successful let these mechanisms been at achieving such intended goals? Professor Minow provides a compelling answer to this oral sex in her book titled Between Vengeance and Forgiveness. Minow explores the noble responses of some nations to mass atrocities and argues that the acknowledgment of past event is of vital grandeur in the process of forgiveness, reconciliation, and reconstruction of a society as whole. In addition to that, she notes the importance of Truth Commission, International Tribunals, and Reparations for past damages. Neverthe slight, she recognizes that such mechanisms have limitations that might, in some cases, hinder a nations mend process. Thus, the author concludes that ... ...logical change. However, such reconciliation cannot emerge without a truthful realization of past events that permit victims to get closure as well as a shared vision of the future. Additionally, the reconciliation and the healing proce ss of a society entail forgiveness that can only be give by the victim himself. But what if a society is not rear to forgive or let go of the past? The unwillingness of a society as a whole to forgive hinders the process of reconciliation. In the absence of this willingness to forgive, truth commission could become compromised, reluctant, or simply morose into merely platforms to criticize old regimes. Chile, Uganda, and Chad are some examples where truth commissions were less effective in achieving their intended purpose of reconciliation due to the unwillingness of the society to forgive past actions (Avruch, 2010, p.35).
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