such as nation building and reconciliation (Schabas 2002). Second, attention must be paid to the context in which transitional justice unfolds. To the extent transitional justice takes place in a context defined by an ongoing armed struggle or other highly instable situations, it may be unrealistic to expect that the justice tools utilized should primarily aim at promoting liberal democratic values. Achieving stability and security may be seen as more pressing needs in such situations, though of course it must be recognized that the continued rejection of liberalization and democratization are often underlying causes of conflict. Third, the level of poverty as well as the existence of well-functioning state institutions must be taken into account. If transitional justice takes place in a context where the government is commencing a post-conflict reconstruction and no basic judicial infrastructure is in place, compromises to rule of law standards and other liberal values may be more acceptable than in states, such as many of the Latin American, where relatively well-functioning state institutions already existed.