![]() ![]() ![]() Transitional justice is meant to connect the present to a turbulent past and, like good therapy, allow societies to heal by addressing past traumas. When past and present compete for attention Two fundamental questions emerge: (i) how to reconcile past and current claims and (ii) how to accommodate ever-changing sources of legitimacy, given the increasing hollowness of state structures in the region. Here, I highlight the need for further research on transitional justice processes in the MENA region, with a focus on recent years of upheaval. The challenges are immense and there are no easy answers. On another level, there is the question of what sort of transitional justice processes and institutions can deal with the past, while also being able to adapt to an ever-shifting present. On one level, there is the question of whether a society can start addressing the traumas of the past while simultaneously dealing with new traumas, often caused by new actors. But is this assumption still valid in the MENA region? Are existing transitional justice efforts succeeding in laying the groundwork for a better future, or are they being washed away by new rounds of violence and repression? The issue is both conceptual and pragmatic.
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