Acknowledging pain: How states seek recognition after retraumatization: Israel’s case after October 7

How do states shaped by historical trauma seek recognition from the international community when confronted with renewed collective suffering? And to what extent does such recognition facilitate healing? This article examines the foreign policy discourse of retraumatized states, focusing on how they pursue and respond to international recognition following new traumatic events. Bridging trauma and recognition studies in International Relations (IR), we conceptualize trauma recognition as a component of ‘thick recognition’, requiring symbolic validation of suffering by others. While existing literature suggests that such recognition is essential for healing, our findings reveal a more nuanced story: recognition may be necessary, but it is not sufficient. Rather than promoting reconciliation or emotional repair, recognition can be mobilized to reinforce trauma, sustain grievance, and legitimize assertive or aggressive responses. We illustrate this argument through a qualitative analysis of Israel’s foreign policy discourse following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks. Our analysis identifies a set of foreign policy roles that retraumatized states may adopt in relation to international recognition – roles that express gratitude, demand solidarity, or react to the perceived absence of recognition.