Exploring Interstate Reconciliations

Abstract

This book is about interstate reconciliations. Reconciliation has rarely been an attractive concept in international relations as forgiveness, apology, sacrifice, and harmony have not been prominent features in politics. From the realist perspective, nation-states have an inclination to compete rather than cooperate in pursuit of their national interests. Furthermore, competitive actions are reinforced in situations where the nations concerned have had a long history of hostility and conflict. This balance of power game has led hostile states to be reluctant to pursue long-term reconciliatory policies. However, the end of the Cold War and the revival of the United Nations played a significant role in trans forming the pessimistic realpolitik vision of international relations toward a more ethical one. Pierre Hazan points out that ‘this shift in perspective provided the opportunity for reconciliation to play a more decisive role. […] The UN General Assembly was so convinced of the need to promote such an integrated approach to the peace process that it declared 2009 to be the international year of reconciliation’ (Hazan 2009: 257–8).