Flash Points: How can we make peace with the past?

[Foreign Policy Logo]( [Foreign Policy Flashpoints]( April 29, 2021 | [View in browser]( Accountability, but not justice: That was Kelebogile Zvobgo’s [verdict]( in Foreign Policy after a jury found former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin guilty of the murder of George Floyd. Yet, Zvobgo hopes, transitional justice can be a part of Floyd’s legacy. As FP’s Christina Lu [explained]( this week, transitional justice can take many forms: truth commissions, memorials, reparations, institutional reforms, even prosecution. At its core, it is a way for societies to redress human rights abuses and mass atrocities so severe that the normal justice system can’t handle them. And it’s more than just an idea. Although the term was coined in the 1990s, transitional justice has had a long and successful history, as Eduardo González and Zvobgo [wrote]( earlier this year, from Brazil and Colombia to Morocco and South Africa—and even communities within the United States. Germany in particular has been held up as a model for Vergangenheitsaufarbeitung, or “processing the past,” as FP’s Allison Meakem [discussed]( with the philosopher Susan Neiman in January. Transitional justice, Zvobgo [argued]( recently, will be a crucial tool for the Biden administration as it seeks to remedy past—and present—racial and religious discrimination and abuse. It won’t just make for good domestic policy. Only after implementing transitional justice, Zvobgo wrote, will Washington have the authority to promote human rights abroad. —Chloe Hadavas --------------------------------------------------------------- [Justice for George Floyd Has Only Just Begun]( Finding Derek Chauvin guilty of murder provides Americans with accountability—not justice. Now lawmakers need to make sure the system actually changes. By Kelebogile Zvobgo --------------------------------------------------------------- [Does America Need a Truth and Reconciliation Commission?]( Transitional justice has worked for dozens of countries with a legacy of systemic abuses. By Christina Lu --------------------------------------------------------------- [As America Seeks Racial Justice, It Can Learn From Abroad]( Other countries offer good lessons for acknowledging and redressing past wrongs. By Eduardo González and Kelebogile Zvobgo --------------------------------------------------------------- [Germany’s Lessons on Confronting a Racist Past]( The philosopher Susan Neiman explains what the United States can learn from postwar Germany. By Allison Meakem --------------------------------------------------------------- [Foreign Policy Begins at Home]( The best way for Biden and Harris to build better partnerships abroad is to get America’s own house in order—and that begins with human rights. By Kelebogile Zvobgo Photo: Emmanuel Dunand/AFP via Getty Images --------------------------------------------------------------- Join FP in partnership with the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy at the University of Toronto for an exciting virtual dialogue celebrating the 2021 Lionel Gelber Book Prize winners, Matthew Klein and Michael Pettis for their book “Trade Wars are Class Wars.” [Register here](. FOLLOW FP ON This email was sent to {EMAIL} because you are subscribed to FP’s Flashpoints newsletter. Want a friend to receive this newsletter? [Forward it]( now. Want to receive other FP newsletters? [Manage]( your FP newsletter preferences. [unsubscribe]( | [privacy policy]( | [contact us]( | [advertise]( Foreign Policy magazine is a division of Graham Holdings Company. All contents © 2021 The Slate Group, LLC. All rights reserved. Foreign Policy, 1750 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20006. [Link](