Addressing the Destructive Aftermath of Collective Conflicts: A Three-Fold Model

Abstract

Intractable conflicts are prevalent worldwide, causing severe damage to the rival parties. Even when these conflicts are resolved by signing peace agreements, without proper attention to this damage, these conflicts can re-erupt. To prevent this, the current article describes - based on a literature review - an model that integrates three main processes that heal this damage (active reconciliation, passive reconciliation and self-healing) while discussing their interconnections and implications in promoting sustainable peace. Some of the main topics that are addressed are third party involvement, mutual positive impacts of the three processes, why the model is inclusive and integrated, the difficulties in initiating the three processes, the sequence of their initiation, parallel practice of the three processes, the impact of the three processes on signing a peace agreement and the applicability of the model also to other types of collective violence (other than conflicts).