ABSTRACT
Political violence is a phenomenon that has particularly devastating and destructive consequences at many different levels and realms. It refers to a wide range of acts and events perpetrated either by the state (in the case of authoritarian, corrupt and repressive regimes) or by anti-state, subversive factions or individuals. Regardless of its specific form or origin, political violence creates a sense of pervasive agitation, disturbance, turmoil and helplessness. Ordinary individuals experience vulnerability and powerlessness as it is difficult for them to predict the danger and to find effective means of protecting themselves. Political violence generates an overall climate of insecurity, unsafety and instability which adversely affects the entire fabric of society. This climate contributes to the increase, multiplication and widening of the destructive effects of the actual individual violent acts (these include the loss of life and destruction of property). Moreover, this climate penetrates not only people’s interpersonal relationships but also their own individual intrapsychic worlds. Inevitably under these circumstances, relationships among people are severely strained and tested. Suspicion, bigotry and enmity can divide people of opposite political persuasions, but at the same time, strong bonds deeper than ordinary friendships can also be forged among persons and groups who hold the same political views or who are thrown into sharing a similar fate as a result of political violence. This sharp division can occur at all levels – in friendships and families, at the workplace, in social groups and wider communities. Therefore, in so far as the evils of political violence extend far beyond the actual catastrophic effects of the individual violent acts, it is important that serious attention is given to effective ways of addressing the multiplicity of their consequences.
