Source: (2008) Peace Review: A Journal of Social Justice, 20:389–397.
As governments attempt to reconcile people and restore community
following violent civil strife and, too, as they seek to establish standing in
the international community following acts committed in violation of
human rights and international law within their borders, the role and
function of apology is gaining considerable attention. The challenge, in
the extreme, is how do people who were routinely killing one another
form a working polity? How do they gain acceptance for their reconstituted
nation in the company of nations? Does apology have a role? This essay
examines the public expression of apology in recent decades, provides
insight into the elements that can both limit and aid its efficacy and
discerns the conditions and requirements, generally, that produce an
effective apology, one that can assist reconciliation and restore relationships,
and, in some circumstances, aid and sustain peace. (author’s abstract)
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