The most common result of internal conflict “ending” seems to be that the people who had been fighting it switch over to being violent criminals, since that’s what they know. (As I understand it, this is what has happened in Ireland with the remnants of the IRA and the Protestant militias; they’re now criminal gangs, though arguably they always were.)

When violence has impacted the whole of society, it’s very difficult to move on from it.

Notably missing from this analysis is South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission. I know a little about its existence, but nothing about its long-term effects; any South Africans want to comment? Masha du Toit?

Originally shared by Yonatan Zunger

How do you reintegrate people who have participated in mass violence into society? We don’t often think about this, but our past successes, and failures, to do so have defined our world profoundly.

I wrote this as a follow-up to a side comment I made in a tweet thread this morning about ICE’s child seizure policy. (https://twitter.com/yonatanzunger/status/1007296192378597382) I decided to dive more deeply into it, because it’s something most people don’t know much about the history of, and it’s important.