Can we move beyond conflict?

Abstract

This chapter examines one of the oldest and most difficult political problems: how to deal with conflicts that are so deeply entrenched that they seem virtually inevitable. Prospects for peace are particularly slim in societies that have experienced a major trauma, such as genocide or a war. From the Middle East to Afghanistan, from Sri Lanka to Somalia, from Iraq to East Timor and from Rwanda to Kashmir, years and often decades of conflict have left societies deeply divided and traumatized. New forms of violence constantly emerge, generating yet more hatred... Although the chapter illustrates the issues at stake through a case study on Korea it does not seek to provide an update on the most recent events. Doing so would be impossible, particularly in Korea, where politics is rapidly changing all the time. New events keep happening and the various actors involved regularly reposition themselves. Policy makers in North and South Korea, for instance, often alter their diplomatic attitudes depending either on strategic choices or domestic political struggles. Or look at how the stance of the United States, which plays a key role in Korea, has gone back and forth between an uncompromising confrontational position and a more tolerant attitude, reflecting respective policy debates in Washington. Rather than seeking to capture the latest stage of these ever changing political struggles, the purpose of this chapter is to illuminate the underlying dynamics that have shaped conflict in Korea for decades.