Do apologies promote the reintegration of former combatants? Lessons from a video experiment in Colombia

Bibliographic Data

ID3917792
AuthorsGustav Agneman (0000-0003-4280-0121, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, corresponding author), Lisa Strömbom (0000-0002-8167-5856, Lund University), Angelika Rettberg (0000-0002-7777-1722, Department of Political Science, University of Los Andes, Columbia)
Year2025
Volume62
Issue4
Pages928-944
Publication date2025-07-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Peace Research (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0022-3433 • E-ISSN: 1460-3578
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/00223433241261560
OpenAlexW4403806214
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited56

Transitional justice practices frequently involve public apologies where former combatants confess their wrongdoings and ask for forgiveness, with the underlying assumption that such displays facilitate the reintegration of ex-combatants into society. However, little is known about the public response to ex-combatant apologies. In this article, we investigate the causal effect of an armed group apology on attitudes toward ex-combatant reintegration in Colombia. Our study builds on a novel experiment implemented in Meta, a conflict-ridden department of Colombia. The experiment entailed exposing a subset of participants to a video in which a former rebel group leader apologizes for violent acts committed by their armed group during the civil war. To examine the extent to which external actors influence the effectiveness of apologies, we incorporated third-party 'encouragements to forgive' (endorsements) in two additional treatment conditions. Our analysis demonstrates that, on average, participants do not exhibit higher reintegration attitudes when exposed to the apology, regardless of third-party endorsements. However, the absence of a treatment effect is not due to an indifference to the apology. In an exploratory heterogeneity analysis, we show that the apology induces negative effects on some indicators of reintegration attitudes among participants that did not support the peace agreement. This finding aligns with qualitative data gathered in a follow-up survey, which indicates that opponents of the peace agreement generally describe negative emotional responses to the FARC-EP apology. The results call for a reconsideration of unchallenged prescriptions of public apologies after conflict

Computer security · Criminology · Injury prevention · Medical emergency · Occupational safety and health · Poison control · Political science · Suicide prevention · Applied Psychology · Computer Science · Forgiveness and Related Behaviors · Human Factors and Ergonomics · Law · Medicine · Migration, Health and Trauma · Peacebuilding and International Security · Psychology

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