How should countries address their past actions in tragic events like the Rwandan genocide?
Annette Young is pleased to welcome Phil Clark, Professor of International Politics at SOAS University of London. He specialises in conflict and post-conflict issues. As French President Emmanuel Macron and Rwandan President Paul Kagame inaugurate a new memorial in Paris dedicated to the victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, profound questions remain about France's historical role and the limits of reconciliation between Paris and Kigali. Beneath the symbolism of remembrance lies a deeply unresolved historical dispute. While describing the memorial as significant, Clark contends that "the French government has never fully come to terms with its involvement in the genocide," and suggests that for many survivors, "some of the great truths of the genocide and France's involvement in it have never really been fully acknowledged." France and Rwanda are seeking a mutually beneficial partnership driven by "a huge amount of political pragmatism."