Balancing the Societal Dimensions of Venezuela and Colombia Through the Amnesty, Reconciliation, and Reintegration (Ar2) Process

This paper explains that in order for a fractured society to forge a lasting, stable peace, it requires not only a holistic approach to amnesty, reintegration, and reconciliation (AR2) but also a balance of three critical dimensions within its process: the political, security, and economic dimensions. It contends that if the process of AR2 is not complete or there is an imbalance in the system, the fractured society will either remain at an unstable peace, if contained, or move to crisis or possibly to war. On the surface, a government may seem successful in its quest at conflict resolution, but unless the problems underlying the societal fractures are balanced using the AR2 construct, stability will not endure. This study examines the societal dimensions of the AR2 process by using a case study methodology.