My Neighbor, My Enemy

Explores the effects of war-crime trials and how societies rebuild after ethnic cleansing and genocide.

How do societies torn apart by civil war and the horrors of ethnic cleansing, genocide, mass rape and the destruction of the infrastructures of civil society begin to rebuild themselves? This book adopts a social science perspective and draws on original research by people working within the societies involved.My Neighbour, My Enemy tackles a crucial and highly topical issue - how do countries rebuild after ethnic cleansing and genocide? And what role do trials and tribunals play in social reconstruction and reconciliation. By talking with people in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia and carrying out extensive surveys, the authors explore what people think about their past and the future. Their conclusions controversially suggest that international or local trials have little relevance to reconciliation. Communities understand justice far more broadly than it is defined by the international community and the relationship of trauma to a desire for trials is not clear-cut. The authors offer an ecological model of social reconstruction and conclude that coordinated multi-systemic strategies must be implemented if social repair is to occur. Finally, the authors suggest that while trials are essential to combat impunity and punish the guilty, their strengths and limitations must be acknowledged.