The Long Hunt Is Over                                                                                                                                                                Radovan Karadzic, one of the most wanted war criminals in the world, was arrested Monday in Serbia, ending a 13 year manhunt. He will be transferred soon to the Hague for trial at the International Criminal Court. I hope that Ratko Mladic, the third chieftain of evil in the Bosnian wars, will also be arrested soon. All societies create agreements for people to live together. When someone breaks one of those agreements he or she is “called to account” by the community. He must satisfy the group that he will be safe for everyone to live with.

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In long-term intractable conflicts I often hear a complaint from people who experience themselves as victimized or wounded in the apparently never-ending violence and hatred that they or they group is caught up in. It is a conversation that is directed toward well meaning people like me, who suggest that listening and dialogue might be helpful. “I am so tired of listening. I don’t want to talk. Talk doesn’t change anything. What we need is action!

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