The Truth and Reconciliation Commission provided a process for people to speak their truth, for people to go on trial. It was a legal process, and it was effective in keeping the country together in a turbulent time.
More recently, mediators from Northern Ireland visited South Africa to learn about the Commission, then took what they learned home and have used a similar process to defuse violence and resolve violent conflicts in Northern Ireland.

The Inter-Tajik Dialogue
Another example of a nonviolent conflict resolution process which prevented continued violence was the work of Dr. Harold Saunders in Tajikistan.  The Inter-Tajik Dialogue was a process begun by Dr. Saunders, former Assistant Secretary of State who accompanied Henry Kissinger on his shuttle diplomacy in the 1970s. Saunders was with President Carter, Prime Minister Begin and President Sadat at the Camp David Accords. His life's work has included considerable international negotiation and the study of international affairs.

When the Soviet Union broke apart in 1991, a civil war broke out in Tajikistan. It was a struggle for power between factions. In what was probably the first joint Russian-American peace initiative, Saunders , two other Americans, and three Soviets went to Tajikistan in 1993. They gathered leaders of warring factions. The first meeting had to be scheduled outside of the country for safety reasons. At first the participants wouldn't even look at one another unless they were shouting in anger.

They met from 1993 to 1998, about every four months. During those five years they gradually realized the futility of their civil war. By 1998 they had written a paper about all the things they agreed on, and they cooperated to build civil society and democracy in Tajikistan. This is a fascinating and little known history.

Neve Shalom Wahat al Salaam
This third example of a successful, nonviolent process that builds a world beyond war is the story of the village called Neve Shalom Wahat al Salaam, 30 miles west of Jerusalem.

It's a most amazing place. For 25 years, approximately equal numbers of Israelis and Palestinians have lived together. The name Neve Shalom Wahat al Salaam means 'oasis of peace in Hebrew and Arabic. The people in this village have already moved beyond war They make their living by maintaining a school and by giving conflict resolution seminars.

When they first started their community, they bought the land, and they began to live together. There was a lot of objection to their living in community together, both by the Palestinians and the Israelis. 'How can you be traitors? How can you talk to them? How can you work with them? Both sides were asked that by their peers outside the community. But the school that they developed was so good that many of these skeptical families sent their children anyway, since it was the best education available.

During twenty five years, the villagers in Neve Shalom Wahat al Salaam have learned a lot. Theirs has not been an easy road. One of the sons of one of the Israeli families died during his army service in a conflict with Palestinians. The family wanted to build a memorial to him in the village, and a Palestinian family said, “No. You can't do that. You know, look at it from our point of view.” They've been through difficult times, but they stay beyond war in their community.

More Stories Yet to Come
Human survival could depend on our knowing these examples of success and nonviolence. We need to develop an insatiable curiosity for what nonviolent processes work so we can apply these processes and principles to other conflicts.