We are proud to introduce Leviathan’s second issue of this year: Atonement. History, including that of the past several decades, is a box filled with tragedy. For many, these collective tragedies form the cornerstone of national identity; they all demand recognition and satisfaction. In this issue, writers have explored how nations and peoples have dealt with, or failed to address, the wrongs that bind us together. Writers discuss the difficulties of atoning for past wrongs as well as how current turmoil is often fed by unaddressed grievances.   In a piece that strikes at the heart of atonement, Angus Leung explores the difficulties necessarily associated with nation-states apologizing on behalf of individu-al wrongdoers. Basing his essay on the successes and failures of real state apologies, Leung looks at how the process of reconciliation can be disrupted by individual victims and perpetrators ignoring the official line and rejecting the opportunity for atonement. In our Latin America section, Sofia Caal looks at practical and cultural barriers to reconciliation in Guatemala. Caal details the recent trial of Jose Efrain Rios Montt, former president of Guatemala, for genocide against the Maya Ixil and other indigenous peoples. Highlighting the rampant racism and discrimination faced by the prose-cutors during the trial, Caal calls attention to the societal barriers that can prevent recognition of past crimes and true reconciliation. Conor MacLennan looks at the extend to which the divisions and harms of the past continue to affect the present. MacLennan examines at the legacy of colonial rule in Liberia and how the divisions and prejudices it engendered continue to impact Liberian politics, even though the Americo-Liberians themselves have largely emigrated. Jacob Milburn explores the ways in which atonement processes often overlook certain issues, particular sexual and gender-based violence. In his look at UN-sponsored reconciliation in Timor Este, Milburn details how institutions have consistently overlooked cases of rape and sexual violence during conflict, denying justice to victims. In our Europe and Russia section, Guy Stewart discusses the deleterious effects of ignoring or covering up national tragedies in his article on recognition and non-recognition of Francoist crimes during and after the Spanish Civil War. Stewart details how these unad-dressed wrongs are bringing old tensions to the surface of Spanish politics now that the Socialist government has decided to face the country’s dictatorial past. When unaddressed, past injustices often have echoes in present practices; Rob Bazaral describes how a legacy of discrimination against Haitians is replicated in the modern Dominican Republic through abusive and exploitative la-bor practices on bateyes. Through a series of interviews, Bazaral lets batey workers speak to their own experiences and frustrations about working in a country that fails to acknowledge or address its legacy of discrimination and abuse.   We hope that this issue will spark and contribute to interesting discussions about forgiveness, redress, and mercy in modern politics. We are also proud to sponsor Retrospect, the University of Edinburgh’s History, Classics and Archaeology Magazine.   The Executive Committee hopes you enjoy this issue; may it inspire many interesting discussions. Sincere thanks to the entire team of Leviathan that made this issue a possibility, all of our writers, and the publishing and political community in Edinburgh.