Abstract / DOI
Forgetting War. What is the foundation of peacemaking in history as seen by the peacemakers themselves? Is it the decision to forget everything hostile that has passed between the belligerents, so as to be free to build a new order; or is it, on the contrary, to remember whatever has been done by each side against the other, in order to realise a justice, which will, as a rule, be designed by the victor? A survey of a great number of peace treaties concluded in all parts of the world suggests that there has been a long-standing tradition to connect peace with forgetting and war with remembrance. More recent methods and institutions to promote peace, like truth and reconciliation commissions or the International Criminal Court, may be influenced by these findings.