Introduction
A former South Korean “comfort woman” — one of tens of thousands of women forced to serve as sex slaves for Japanese soldiers during World War II — protests at the Japanese Embassy in Seoul over the publication of Japanese textbooks that soft-pedal Japan's atrocities during the war. (Getty Images/Chung Sung-Jun)
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Every nation argues about its own history, seeking to find glory and a sense of identity by celebrating its heroes while downplaying the dark side of the past. Nations also argue with each other about the past, with one side's glorious victory still rankling as the other's ignominious defeat. And, frequently, a neighboring country that has been harmed by another's actions complains that the guilty nation is whitewashing the worst incidents. Currently, an attempt to normalize relations between Turkey and Armenia is proving a tough sell due to arguments about a mass slaughter that occurred more than 90 years ago. And Russia and its neighbors are engaged in heated debates about revealing the crimes of the Stalinist era. Like individuals, nations need to confront their own ghosts, but finding the balance between acknowledging past wrongdoing and learning to get along in the present can be a difficult feat. Such conflicts raise a fundamental philosophical question: Is historical accountability a human right?
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Dec. 2009 |
Rewriting History |
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Dec. 18, 1981 |
Europe's Postwar Generations |
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Apr. 06, 1949 |
Occupation Feeding |
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Jun. 12, 1946 |
Compromise |
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May 22, 1946 |
Treaties of Alliance |
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May 01, 1946 |
European Peace Settlements |
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Apr. 17, 1946 |
International Information |
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Nov. 10, 1945 |
Nationalization |
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Sep. 26, 1944 |
The Great Powers and the Dardanelles |
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Feb. 23, 1944 |
International Cartels |
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Sep. 04, 1942 |
World Organization After the War |
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