Committee for Conflict Transformation Support |
CCTS
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The Ethics of Post War Intervention - dilemmas of conflict transformation practice: Discussion NotesAchieving change through 'critical collaboration'When one participant was working in Ukrainian schools on conflict handling, he became aware that the work was being used for propaganda purposes by the Ukrainian Ministry of Education. Because the work seemed to be valued by teachers and pupils he decided to continue. (This approach was supported by other participants, who agreed that one needs to judge on a case by case basis whether the work one is undertaking has a net benefit.) He went on to say that it is important to remember that, as a foreigner, one is likely to be ignorant of many of the nuances of the attitudes one encounters. While one's work may be open to manipulation by government agencies, either at home or abroad, there are almost always individuals working for good, even in the most corrupt of governments and the most difficult of circumstances. If peace workers can identify such people, and target their reports at them, the issues raised may have more hope of achieving results. On the other hand we should not expect to believe in the good intentions of governments, whose primary interests (as one person reminded the meeting) are in keeping the populace quiet and under control. We need to remember that reality, and to look for opportunities to work within it to support movements for good. Another person pointed out that no one is neutral. Even the most ethical person is, to some extent, compromised (if only by their bank account or pension fund). One can only achieve change through 'critical collaboration' - finding commonality with organisations with different objectives and using it as a lever for beneficial change. The example was given of Raoul Wallenberg, the Swedish businessman and diplomat whose efforts while attached to the Swedish delegation in Budapest saved upwards of 100,000 Jews from the gas chambers during World War II. Truth Commissions provide another good example of critical collaboration, in that they contain the massive internal contradiction of being government funded vehicles for public acknowledgement of government wrongdoing. While this contradiction severely limits the amount of justice that they can deliver, they nevertheless provide a useful springboard for change. One participant recalled how in the late 1980s the IRA changed its rhetoric and began to talk about its 'struggle for peace'. When quizzed about the honesty of the change of emphasis one IRA worker said "let's change the language and see what effect it has on the actions". Given the progress since that date, maybe even one's choice of words can be used as a lever for change.
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