EU elections towards peace and solidarity
A comprehensive questionnaire for European parliamentary candidates was published in English and German by AGDF, Brot für die Welt, church and peace, forumZFD, Mennonitisches Friedenszentrum Berlin, pax christi, and Plattform Zivile Konfliktbearbeitung. These seven organisations envision „credible climate and environmental policies“, a „sustainable economy and fair trade“ as well as a human (rights) centred foreign […]
Keep peace on the agenda!
On 6-9 June, around 400 million EU citizens have the right to vote for their representatives in the European Parliament. However, despite the EU’s history as a peace project, peace is out of favour in discussions on political priorities and resource allocation. Peacebuilding and conflict prevention are at risk of becoming increasingly sidelined. Therefore, the […]
Go beyond „add woman and stir“
The rise of Feminist Foreign Policy has opened a door to rethinking approaches to foreign policy. However, the authors of our editorial state, there is still much work to be done to ensure that FFP’s truly challenge existing power structures and promote substantive gender equality, peace and security. With more and more countries adopting a […]
Flawed systems can’t create accurate data
Open-source investigation are often said to revolutionise human rights work. Evidence found online, however, often isn’t as objective as it seems to be. Rather, it reflects, and in some cases even exacerbates, existing inequalities and power asymmetries. Ultimately, data is only as good as the system that created it. Since March 2022, open-source investigators of […]
Transitional Justice. A Call for Decolonisation
Transitional Justice is part of the colonial order, it persists and is deeply embedded in ‘Euro- North American – centric modernity’. Even when transitional justice initiatives are comprehensive and holistic, they account for a colonial situation only to a limited extent, representing more compromises and easier ‘fixes.’ They, thus, address symptoms rather than causes; and […]
The end of transitional justice?
Transitional Justice could and should accept the challenge of decolonial thinking… but it may mean the end of its current form. The practice and standardization of TJ reflect and cement power structures and do not meet emancipatory aspirations. Of all the theoretical challenges transitional justice has had, the decolonial one is probably the most radical […]
Who are the victims?
Whether in truth-seeking, justice, reparations or “victim-centric” principles – transitional justice circulates around the notion of victims. But who is considered a victim? Legal and societal perceptions diverge on this matter and so do victims’ introspections. For effectively adopting a “victim-centric” approach, one might first need to move beyond naïve definitions of the concept and […]
Transitional justice in the US?
The U.S. certainly is the most visible country whose wealth was built – at least partly – on slavery. Passing legislation addressing the rights of those currently harmed by the consequence of African slavery would have far-reaching implications for the advancement of TJ. While it is so far difficult to gather bipartisan support at national […]
The Local Dimension Matters
By seeking justice via courts and truth commissions, emphasis is usually put on high-level perpetrators. It tends to be forgotten, however, that also national-level violence and its consequences are lived on a local dimension in cities and neighborhoods. While remembering might be practiced nationally, locally, practices of silence can persist. Which steps need to be […]
Mere Representation Is Not Enough
Indigenous peoples are among the most discriminated in the world. Transitional justice is supposed to draw a line between the past, a period of armed conflict & dictatorship, and the present. Yet, for indigenous people the line breaking with a violent past is often nowhere to be seen. Is the inclusion of indigenous perspectives in […]
