Reconciliation, Morality and Moral Compromise

Abstract

Political reconciliation has a good reputation. It facilitates the transition from dictatorial to democratic regimes, supposedly heals the wounds of victims of atrocities, and has become the receptacle for a peculiar sort of justice—transitional justice. No doubt, superficially inspected, reconciliation works for the good. At close quarters, however, processes of reconciliation often appear as morally problematic. They often do not deliver what they promise, and the price they charge is exceedingly high in moral terms because political reconciliation tends to include some sort of amnesty for perpetrators of atrocities. In practice, therefore, political reconciliation is mostly a mixed blessing. This seems an inevitable result wherever lofty ideals meet political realities, but beyond the general strictures of Realpolitik political reconciliation also faces endemic moral problems which need to be addressed. The present paper will focus on these moral problems.