The Role of Amnesty in Ending Civil Conflicts

Date of Award

2008

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Social Sciences

First Advisor

Alcock, Frank

Keywords

Amnesty, Civil Conflict, International Law

Area of Concentration

Political Science

Abstract

This thesis examines the possible role that amnesty can play in the resolution of civil conflicts. By compiling a review of the literature on amnesty and conflict resolution in general, the study seeks to clarify the contexts in which amnesty is an effective method of conflict resolution. Mindful of the fact that a conclusive answer cannot be reached, the current debate over "peace vs. justice" is also discussed as it pertains to the reconciliation of amnesty with the principles of international law and justice. Specifically, the study examines the role of amnesty in three civil conflicts: South Africa, Liberia, and Uganda. South Africa and Liberia have already implemented amnesty agreements while Uganda is mired in a legal and ethical debate over its future use. This study makes a number of generalizations about the use of amnesty drawn from the literature and case study analysis. Additionally, it concludes that the often-noted polarization between peace and justice in regards to amnesty is largely false. Amnesty is most effective when it is used to obtain peace so that justice may be pursued in the future, not forgotten.

Rights

This bibliographic record is available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication. The New College of Florida, as creator of this bibliographic record, has waived all rights to it worldwide under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights, to the extent allowed by law.

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