National Reconciliation in Afghanistan. Conflict History and the Search for an Afghan Approach

Abstract First initiatives by Afghan and international organizations to deal with the past war crimes and build peace have started recently, but are strongly impeded by political and social factors. To support these efforts, crucial issues of national reconciliation are discussed: (i) basis terms are clarified and "lessons learned" from international experience are related to the Afghan search for an indigenous concept; (ii) rival "collective myths" about the causes of war have already emerged in Afghanistan and threaten to further divide the highly fragmented society; this observation leads to the policy recommendation to establish an Afghan "Historical Commission", which should promote a national consensus; (iii) Afghan and international organizations are introduced which have started to break the silence and pave the way for a future reconciliation process; (iv) six basic issues incl. "lessons learned" from other post-war countries are summarized as a contribution to designing a culturally adjusted, specifically Afghan reconciliation approach.