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The Clash of Civilizations: a Conflictology Perspectives
2) conflict resolution (treatment of the causes of the conflict); 3) reconciliation (treatment of the psychological effects of the conflict). Obviously, in an open conflict with the widespread of visible violence, conflict settlement is an urgent issue and the priority is to end violent actions. But if the intervention is limited to this first step, this will result only in a “negative peace” with no guarantee that it will be a lasting one. In fact it is almost certain that the conflict will reappear some time later. A “positive peace” can be achieved only when the hidden aspects of violence are removed through conflict resolution and reconciliation. Conflict settlement may be the fastest step in conflict management, compared to both conflict resolution, aiming at removing all the structural obstacles to peace, and reconciliation, aiming at healing both shallow and deep “collective injuries or trauma” caused by the conflict, which constitute slow and lengthy processes that may take years or even decades. Reconciliation requires the use of a number of recognized tools such as: a) Truth commissions. b) Trials. c) Reparation. d) Public apology. e) Amnesty. f) Recovery of historical memory. g) Education. Moreover, reconciliation must address also the old “collective trauma” that had been ignored and hence could not be healed. If we consider for instance that recent events such as “9/11” in the USA, “3/11” in Spain, “7/7” in the UK, the shelling of Afghanistan and Iraq, the Palestinian massacres, “Guantanamo”, “Baghram”, “Abu Ghraib”, the “Danish cartoons” have caused deep “collective trauma” in Western and Muslim societies, there are also old “collective trauma” caused by historical conflicts that prevent peace between these peoples, such as those related to the Crusades in the Middle East, the Inquisition in medieval Spain, Ottoman invasion of Eastern Europe, the Palestinian Nakba , and the colonial
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