Reconciliation and its social and political dimensions

National reconciliation, while undoubtedly a means to reduce psychological distance and alienation, can be criticized for ignoring basic concerns with justice. Rather than downplayed or smoothed over with political rhetoric, deep structural divisions in post-conflict societies need to be considered in the search for new social identity, meaning, and values. We argue that there can be no “quick fixes” in post-conflict societies and that, to be truly salutary, reconciliation should contribute to the emergence of institutions capable of creatively processing the kind of social tensions that led to past violent conflict. © 2002 Kluwer Law International.