Rethink Fragility

Assaad is best-known in Lebanon for an open letter in 2000, in which he apologised for what he’d done with the Lebanese Forces, a prominent Christian militia responsible for its share of atrocities. This has been followed by nearly twenty years of philanthropic work. Much of it has been in partnership with other former combatants, through the organisation Fighters for Peace. He has also been involved with a range of initiatives seeking to unblock social dialogue more broadly. His auto-biography La verité meme si ma voix tremble is available in French and Arabic. (https://dergham.com/book--157) Show notes: [02:20] Goals in working with other ex-combatants to reach younger generations. Peacebuilding as change at the level of moral values. [08:00] Assaad’s background during the Lebanese civil war. A period in the wilderness as a “traitor”. Early interactions with Moral Rearmament / Initiatives of Change. [19:00] Dialogue across conflict lines, starting at an informal level. The gradual evolution of Assaad’