AGI

Memory Politics

Germany’s approach to acknowledging and providing redress for past crimes has offered other nations around the world a guide to reconciliation. While Germany’s efforts resulted from a unique situation and are not considered a blueprint for other nations to emulate, they have nevertheless informed and impacted other countries dealing with the difficult processes of memory, commemoration, and rebuilding bilateral relationships.
Reset

German Unity Day: President Gauck Speaks on Freedom

Marking twenty-three years of one Germany, President Joachim Gauck emphasized German citizens’ and policymakers’ responsibilities both domestically and internationally during his speech in Stuttgart on October 3, 2013. This speech …

The Official German Commitment to Fighting Anti-Semitism

Budapest On May 6, 2013, in a major speech to the World Jewish Congress in Budapest, German foreign minister Guido Westerwelle continued an official German tradition. Like German foreign ministers …

The Franco-German Elysée Treaty at Fifty: A Model for Others?

The fiftieth anniversary of the 1963 Elysée Treaty provides occasion for reflection on the larger meaning of this landmark for Franco-German relations, but also raises the question of whether its …

An Exercise in External Reconciliation

With the EU accepting its Peace and Reconciliation Nobel Prize, it is worth a look at an example of the EU using its reconciliation experience, specifically  in the Arab-Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This essay …

Who Can Lead the Change?

“Comfort women,” the Dokdo/Takeshima islands, and the Yasukuni shrine are the Achilles’ heel of South Korean-Japanese relations. Recurring for decades, the clashes over history issues this year have taken a …

Domestic Structures in Germany and Japan and Their Influence on Reconciliation Policy

Comparing reconciliation politics of different states helps us to understand better the reasons why reconciliation, i.e., the process of normalization of bilateral relations after conflict between former perpetrator and victim …

Personal Reconciliation between Germans and Jews

The Many Levels of Reconciliation  The award of the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize to the European Union has focused attention on how governments in Europe have built lasting reconciliation.  Studies …

It’s Not Only the Economy: Germany’s role in averting a Western meltdown

Download Policy Report The observed capital flows out of distressed countries into countries that are seen as “safe harbors” have in fact resulted in historically low yields of German and …

Proper Remembrance – The Most Essential for Reconciliation

Everyone knows what the term “reconciliation” means, but few can provide a proper answer to the question, “Have Korea and Japan achieved reconciliation?” This irony arises partly from the conceptual definition of “reconciliation,” but it also springs from considering reconciliation to be a single fixed state.