Understanding Transitional Justice: A Struggle for Peace, Reconciliation, and Rebuilding (Philosophy, Public Policy, and Transnational Law)

The book is an accurate and accessible introduction to the complex and dynamic field of transitional and post-conflict justice, providing an overview of its recurring concepts and debated issues. Particular attention is reserved to how these concepts and issues have been addressed, both theoretically and literally, by lawyers, policy-makers, international bodies, and other actors informing the practice. By presenting significant, if undeniably disputable, alternatives to mainstream theories and past methods of addressing past injustice and (re)building a democratic state, the work aims to illustrate some foundational themes of transitional justice that have emerged from a diverse set of discussions. The author’s position thus arrives from a careful analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of answers to the question: how, after a traumatic social experience, is justice restored? Front Matter....Pages i-xiv Introduction: Building Justice in the Wake of Atrocities....Pages 1-7 A Fight for Inclusion: The Transforming Role of Victims in Transitional Justice Processes....Pages 9-41 Truth: Chasing an Illusion?....Pages 43-64 Reconciliation: A Journey “From Madness to Hope”....Pages 65-85 Amnesties: Juggling Tensions within the Transitional Justice Discourse....Pages 87-123 The Origins of International Criminal Accountability: The Nuremberg and Tokyo Tribunals....Pages 125-148 International Criminal Justice Revisited: The Ad Hoc Tribunals for the Former Yugoslavia and Rwanda....Pages 149-170 The Hybrid Experiment: Assessing the Special Court for Sierra Leone....Pages 171-194 Healing a Wounded Nation: The Reconciliatory Paradigm of Truth Commissions....Pages 195-227 Adapting the Perspective: The Role of Bottom-Up Initiatives....Pages 229-251 “No Hay Paz Sin Trabajo”: Incorporating Indigenous Perspectives in the Struggle for a More Meaningful Justice....Pages 253-291 Conclusions: Justice Beyond Rhetoric....Pages 293-301 Back Matter....Pages 303-335 41 fast-moving short-short stories by the creator of Mike Hammer! Revised and expanded with 14 new stories, including "A Turn of the Tide," a previously unpublished tale (from the publisher) Giada Girelli. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.