2025/12/15 by Bart-Jan Zandee, Salvador Santino Regilme · 1 voice
Psychology · Social Sciences · #Forgiveness and Related Behaviors #Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health #Military, Security, and Education Studies
paper · pdf · doi:10.1017/s0260210525101629
openalex created_date 2025/12/15 · openalex publication_date 2025/12/15 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/15
Abstract This article explains why the Netherlands, uniquely among major European states, issued a sovereign apology for its role in transatlantic slavery in December 2022 while comparable states, notably the United Kingdom, have not. Using process tracing and an analytically eclectic framework, the apology activation model, or AAM, identifies three interlocking conditions that activate sovereign apologies: institutional openness that admits minoritized voices into competitive politics; influential domestic allies who translate transnational pressure into parliamentary and executive action; and a cohesive, domestically represented victim constituency able to sustain claims and shape framing. The Dutch case shows how forward-looking framing and strategic localization converted CARICOM and EU pressure into parliamentary commitment, a policy package, and a durable reparative agenda despite mixed public opinion; the UK comparison demonstrates that international advocacy alone is insufficient. The article advances theory by integrating normative and material explanations, foregrounding elite interest convergence and domestic opportunity structures, and offering a practical template for analyzing reparations politics across diverse political systems.