Reparations Politics - A Case Study of the Reparations Demands of the Herero towards the Federal Republic of Germany

Reparations politics is a field of growing importance in international relations. There is an increasing number of examples in which attempts to ‘repair’ an historical injustice are put on the current political agenda. The aim of this paper is to analyze the reparations demands put forth by the Herero, a Namibian tribe, towards Germany and how they have shaped German-Namibian relations in the post Cold War era. A special emphasis is put on the role of non-state actors in both countries and how they tried to take influence, directly or indirectly, on governmental policies. It is shown that, as in this case of post-colonial reparations demands, the call for ‘justice’ can be met only as far as it does not compromise the interests of the states involved. The efforts of non-state actors striving towards ‘repairing the past’ led to certain symbolic concessions, yet they did not bring about a structural change in the quality of relations between Germany and its former colony.