Sorry states : apologies in international politics / Jennifer Lind.

1. Remembrance and Reconciliation -- 2. An Unhappy Phase in a Certain Period -- 3. Not Your Father's Fatherland -- 4. The Soul of a People Can Be Changed.

Originally presented as the author's thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2004.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 199-234) and index.

"Governments increasingly offer or demand apologies for past human rights abuses, and it is widely believed that such expressions of contrition are necessary to promote reconciliation between former adversaries." "Examining the cases of South Korean relations with Japan and of French relations with Germany, Jennifer Lind demonstrates that denials of past atrocities fuel distrust and inhibit international reconciliation. In Sorry States, she argues that a country's acknowledgment of past misdeeds is essential for promoting trust and reconciliation after war. However, Lind challenges the conventional wisdom by showing that many countries have been able to reconcile without much in the way of apologies or reparations. Contrition can be highly controversial and is likely to cause a domestic backlash that alarms - rather than assuages - outside observers. Apologies and other such polarizing gestures are thus unlikely to soothe relations after conflict, Lind finds, and remembrance that is less accusatory - conducted bilaterally or in multilateral settings - holds the most promise for international reconciliation."--BOOK JACKET.