Acknowledgments

I am greatly indebted to all the people who took the time to tell me their stories. It is my hope that this project contributes to the historical record and takes a small step in making their roads to truth easier. I also hope that their time and my continuing research may help spare others the same fate.

The intellectual and physical journey of this project was made possible by an amazing collection of comrades and friends. The mentorship of Margaret Levi was crucial at the early stages of the project and our collaboration was supported by a NSF ADVANCE grant through West Virginia University. Early readers of the manuscript include Onur Bakiner, Cynthia Horne, and Jelena Subotić. In the final stages I held a book workshop at Penn State. I am very grateful for the thoughtful engagement from all the participants: Jennifer Gandhi, Courtney Hillebrecht, Hyeran Jo, Beatriz Magaloni, Jens Meierhenrich, and Monika Nalepa. Monika especially has been such a strong advocate for this project and a dear friend.

Many colleagues engaged with my work along the way. This list includes, but is in no way limited to, my tireless advocate, mentor, and friend, Christian Davenport, as well as David Backer, Anne Cizmar, Jackie DeMeritt, Bernard Fraga, Paul Huth, Susan Hyde, Milli Lake, Jason MacDonald, Will Moore, Greg Noone, Megan Stewart, and Scott Gates. Helga Malmin Binningsbø has become my most frequent collaborator and dearest academic friend. Maybe one day I can convince her to write a book with me. A special place in my heart is saved for Federica Carugati and Jessica Steinberg who have been strong supporters of this process through all its highs and lows. Their encouragement made the project possible.

At Penn State I would like to acknowledge the support and mentorship of my department heads, Lee Ann Banazszak and Michael Nelson. Anil Kuleli offered valuable research assistance in the later stages of the project. The entire International Relations faculty has offered words of wisdom and help along the way. I must make special mention of my comrade-in-arms, Douglas Lemke. Writing our books together was an experience I may never be lucky enough to duplicate. Doug kept the book-writing process in perspective, offered advice, took advice, and generally turned an opaque and often stressful process into a collaborative adventure. I could not dream up a more thoughtful, smart, or generous colleague. Thank you for being my friend.

At Indiana University, Laura Plummer and her Faculty Writing Groups helped me stay accountable, but mostly the groups offered a rich community of friends. I am so pleased to be able to build on Laura’s great legacy at Penn State.

Since I first arrived in Rwanda in 2004, I have amassed a long list of colleagues and confidants who have all made the process of researching in a post-genocide country a little easier in their own ways. I would like to acknowledge the support I received in my travels from Dr. Reva Adler, Manu Kabahizi, Ibrahim Murobafi, Elizabeth Powley, Rulinda (Koko) Rutera, Alyson Smith, Haley Swedlund, and Sam Totten. Haley was part of much of my fieldwork in Rwanda and Uganda. While our research topics rarely overlapped, it was always a pleasure to come home to warm companionship and thoughtful conversation. I also benefited from the support of a number of research assistants and local collaborators who I choose not to mention here for their own safety.

In Uganda, my research was made possible by Susan Oroma Acen, Nobert Dacan, Sarah Nkayimbi, and Lino Owor Ogora, along with the whole team at the Foundation for Justice and Development Initiatives (FJDI). This team helped facilitate our research in the face of the emerging COVID-19 pandemic. The love and care they bring to the community in Northern Uganda are admirable.

My research in Northern Ireland would have been less enjoyable and much less informed without my conversations with Andre Murphy, Mark Thompson, the entire team at Relatives for Justice, John Lounghran, JJ Magee, Kieren McEvoy, Monsignor Raymond Murray, Clara O’Reilly, Jim Potts, and bottomless pots of tea with Lian McGavok. In addition, I would like to acknowledge the research support of the Linen Hall Library Northern Ireland Political Collection, South Armagh Rural Women’s Network, the Upper Ardoyne Youth Center, the Pat Finucane Centre, FAIR, Saver/Naver, and both the Concord and Ardoyne Community Centers.

All brilliance can be attributed to this amazig group of scholars and friends. All errors are my own.

This book is dedicated to seven of the smartest and most fun political scientists I know. In 2019, Jessica Braithwaite called us all together, and Conflict Processes hasn’t been the same since. Thank you to Jessica Maves Braithwaite, Kathleen Gallagher Cunningham, Reyko Huang, Danielle F. Jung, Carla Martinez Machain, Molly M. Melin, and Burcu Savun. The DBC has been my home for advice, support, and product recommendations. Thank you for always sharing a good story.

I close by thanking my family who may not understand what I do but have always been endlessly supportive of my desire to do it. My father, Harry D. Loyle, suggested that my fifth grade English project be about the stock market crash of 1987 instead of about puppies, and nothing has really been the same since. He taught me early on that true issues of justice are an internal struggle and that the best we can do is what we believe to be right. He is not here to see the completion of this project, but I know that he would be proud. I have always had profound respect for my mother, Barbara J. Loyle, but in the last few years she has shown me a deeper wellspring of strength than I thought possible. I am so blessed to have her as my mom. My sister Citabria offers her love and impressive example through her deep commitment to making individual lives better. My sister Kellen contributed untiring singing and humor through her passion for making the world smile. I would like particularly to thank my brother Ben for every competitive inclination. May this project help put back together the things you try to blow up. I thank my grandmother, Grace, for her boundless faith in me and all of humankind. My grandfather, Charles, singlehandedly provided the cheering section for every lecture I have ever given on the East Coast. My in-laws, Dittmer and Renate Hey, kept close tabs on this project from afar and offered words of African wisdom along the way. Alicia Simoni continues to be a seemingly endless resource for care and calm. My two best friends in the world, Krissy Kay and Rich Reyes, have been by my side all along. I thank them both dearly for every laugh and all the love.

My children, Mattias and Lorelei, deserve special mention. They have been keen supporters of this project from the very beginning. As early readers themselves, they always found it so exciting that their mama was writing a book. Thank you for your love, support, and enthusiasm for all my projects. Their father, Wolf, is my true partner in all things. My wildest dreams and ambitions are only possible because I have found someone who believes in them as much as I do. Thank you all.