The Burden of History: How Presidents Confront the Nation's Past

Hybrid

Ruti Teitel and Leslie Vinjamuri discuss how American presidents have used tools of justice and reconciliation to address historical harms and advance peace abroad.

US President Barack Obama, right, shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima, western Japan, as Obama became the first sitting U.S. president to visit the site of the world's first atomic bomb attack.

May

Carolyn Kaster / AP

Speakers

Ruti Teitel
Leslie Vinjamuri

Date and Time

May 5: 5:30 - 6:30 pm CDT

Doors Open: 5:15 pm

Location

Chicago Council Conference Center, 130 E Randolph Street; or via YouTube

Who Can Attend

For All

REGISTRATION

This event is open to the public.

About This Event

What does it take for a nation to reckon with its past? American presidents have long wrestled with this question, using tools of transitional justice to confront historical harms both at home and abroad. Ronald Reagan signed legislation apologizing for Japanese American internment, while Barack Obama visited Hiroshima and Laos to acknowledge the lasting consequences of US bombing. As the United States marks its 250th anniversary, how should we confront difficult chapters in our past? How can a nation reckon with past wrongs like displacement, discrimination, or violence, and what role can leaders play in guiding reconciliation and accountability? Join Ruti Teitel and Leslie Vinjamuri for a conversation on how presidents reckon with the past and shape America’s path forward.

About the Speakers

Ruti Teitel

Ernst C. Stiefel Professor of Comparative Law and Co-Director of the Center for International Law, New York Law School

Ruti Teitel is the Ernst C. Stiefel Professor of Comparative Law and co-director of the Center for International Law at New York Law School, where she also chairs the Institute for Global Law, Justice, and Policy. She is one of the world's leading experts on international human rights and the foremost scholar of transitional justice. Teitel has authored a vast body of work, including four books, the latest of which is "Presidential Visions of Transitional Justice."

Leslie Vinjamuri

President & Chief Executive Officer, Chicago Council on Global Affairs

Dr. Leslie Vinjamuri joined the Council in 2025 as the president and chief executive officer, after previously serving as director of the US and the Americas program at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, known as Chatham House, in London. She is Professor of Practice in International Studies and Diplomacy at SOAS University of London.

America at 250: The Arc of Global Influence This content is part of the Council’s America at 250 initiative, a series of high-level dialogues, expert perspectives, public and private programs, and a signature conference focused on the critical questions that will define America’s future.

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