"Saving democracy isn't the job of politicians; it is the job of everyone who wants a secure and prosperous future." -Unknown
When a conflict involves a debate over a historical fact, whether the debate be over an actual event or an interpretation of the event, it may be important to decide whether the debate is resolvable and whether resolving it will improve the situation. A fact-finding endeavor may indeed uncover important historical information, and that information may play a role in building consensus. On the other hand, the information may not have any real effect, either because those facts are rejected or because someone shifts tactics to avoid utilizing those facts. Even worse, fresh information may inflame the conflict even more.
Since historical research is not an exact science, historical fact-finding suffers from the problem of uncertain information. It may not be possible to uncover what actually happened, and giving parties the hope that it is possible can lead to disappointment and a hardened position. At some point, the best option may be for each side to simply set aside arguments about the past and work toward resolving the current situation. Conflicts have costs -- intractable conflicts usually significant ones -- in resources and human lives. Resources and human lives lost may not be reclaimed. On the other hand, future losses are avoidable, so shifting focus from the past to the future -- at least temporarily -- can sometimes be a good strategy for both parties.
Once settlement is reached, however, it is then often useful to go back and re-address past abuses, either through war crimes tribunals (which prosecute war criminals) or truth commissions, which attempt to document what happened, while granting amnesty rather than prosecuting the guilty. Both of these approaches enable parties to address the past, reconcile with it and with each other, and move forward into a more constructive relationship.
Also useful are joint efforts at history writing and/or storytelling, both as a conflict resolution and a peace building strategy after a settlement has been reached. The ICKB essay on narratives and storytelling describes several such efforts, which have had positive peacemaking and peace building effects.
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Historische RomaneUPDATES COME SLOW- sorryyyy 🧍 this book is, and always will be, dedicated to my one and only, Eli Mixon. he's been there for me through tough times, and i don't have the words to thank him for all he's done. so i've written a book about the world...
