Just and Unjust Peace: An Ethic of Political Reconciliation

Daniel Philpott

2012

How can justice be achieved and peace restored where the wounds of war, genocide, and dictatorship are so deep? Why does the approach to peace-building that dominates the United Nations, Western governments, and the human rights community so often fall short of bringing healing to torn societies? Is there a universal standard that will work for people of diverse and often conflicting religious, cultural, and philosophical backgrounds?

In Just and Unjust Peace: an Ethic of Political Reconciliation, Daniel Philpott explains why justice and an effective political order call for a more holistic, restorative approach. He proposes a form of political reconciliation that is deeply rooted in three religious traditions - Christianity, Islam, and Judaism - that fully express the concepts of justice, mercy, and peace. By adapting these concepts to modern constitutional democracy and international norms, Philpott crafts an ethic that can have universal appeal and offers a fresh approach to the age-old problem of restoring justice in the aftermath of widespread injustice.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Part One: Reconciliation as a Concept of Justice
Chapter One: Whose Justice?
Chapter Two: The Basic Standards of Justice
Chapter Three: The Wounds of Political Injustice
Chapter Four: Reconciliation as a Concept of Justice
Chapter Five: Is Reconciliation Fit for Politics?

Part Two: Religion and Reconciliation
Chapter Six: Is Religion Fit For Reconciliation?
Chapter Seven: Reconciliation in the Jewish Tradition
Chapter Eight: Reconciliation in the Christian Tradition
Chapter Nine: Reconciliation in the Islamic Tradition

Part Three: Practicing Political Reconciliation
Chapter Ten: Four Practices: Building Institutions for Social Justice, Acknowledgment, Reparations, and Apology
Chapter Eleven: Punishment
Chapter Twelve: Forgiveness

Conclusion

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