Studies in Strategic Peacebuilding: Just and Unjust Peace

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In the wake of massive injustice, how can justice be achieved and peace restored? Is it possible to find a universal standard that works for diverse and often conflicting religious, cultural, and philosophical backgrounds? Daniel Philpott offers an innovative response, challenging the dominant peace-building approach of the United Nations, western governments, and the human rights community. While he shares commitments to human rights and democracy, Philpott argues that these values alone cannot heal the wounds of war, genocide, and dictatorship. He advocates for a holistic, restorative approach to both justice and political order. Philpott proposes a form of political reconciliation rooted in Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, as well as the restorative justice movement. These traditions embody core concepts of justice, mercy, and peace. By adapting these ancient ideas to modern constitutional democracy and international norms, he crafts an ethic with widespread appeal, offering hope for justice in fractured communities. From these traditions, Philpott develops six practices: building just institutions, acknowledgment, reparations, restorative punishment, apology, and forgiveness. He applies these practices to real cases in Bosnia, Iraq, South Africa, Germany, Sierra Leone, Timor-Leste, and Chile, illustrating how each addresses unique wounds. This fresh approach tackles the age-old problem of restoring justice after wides