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Obama, Acknowledging U.S. Misdeeds Abroad, Quietly Reframes American Power - The New York Times

Mr. Obama is breaking that pattern. When he hints that the United States has caused harm abroad and perhaps even made mistakes, it squares American rhetoric with reality as the world perceives it. Supporters see this as sending a message to foreign states that they can trust Washington to hear their concerns and even compromise, encouraging allies and adversaries alike to invest political capital in the relationship. There may be another, more personal factor driving Mr. Obama’s statements. From even before his presidency, he has emphasized the importance of confronting painful history, frequently returning to a favored William Faulkner quotation: “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.” In addressing issues from race relations to foreign conflicts, he has repeatedly argued that present-day progress cannot be made without first overcoming past traumas. “We have a responsibility to confront the past with honesty and transparency,” he said in his March speech in Buenos Aires, only barely rephrasing Faulkner. “What happened here in Argentina is not unique to Argentina, and it’s not confined to the past.”