Around the world, governments and nation-states have issued–and continue to issue–national apologies to victimized communities, populations, or countries. These apologies are often contentious and can cause ripple effects that influence foreign or domestic policies.

In this episode, we discuss what qualifies as a “national apology,” look at why national apologies are issued, and examine whether or not they achieve their intended goals.

Dig Deeper

Take a look at some of our favorite articles that we came across while researching this topic:

* National Apologies: Mapping the Complexities of Validity, The Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, Eneko Sanz and Jeremy Tomlinson

* Germany to fund museum investigations into provenance of colonial-era artefacts, The Art Newspaper, Catherine Hickley

* It’s not just Hiroshima: The many other things America hasn’t apologized for, Washington Post, Adam Taylor