Making Peace

Making Peace PDF Author: George J. Mitchell
Publisher: Knopf
ISBN: 0307824489
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 258

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Book Description
Fifteen minutes before five o'clock on Good Friday, 1998, Senator George Mitchell was informed that his long and difficult quest for an Irish peace accord had succeeded--the Protestants and Catholics of Northern Ireland, and the governments of the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom, would sign the agreement. Now Mitchell, who served as independent chairman of the peace talks for the length of the process, tells us the inside story of the grueling road to this momentous accord. For more than two years, Mitchell, who was Senate majority leader under Presidents Bush and Clinton, labored to bring together parties whose mutual hostility--after decades of violence and mistrust--seemed insurmountable: Sinn Fein, represented by Gerry Adams; the Catholic moderates, led by John Hume; the majority Protestant party, headed by David Trimble; Ian Paisley's hard-line unionists; and, not least, the governments of the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom, headed by Bertie Ahern and Tony Blair. The world watched as the tense and dramatic process unfolded, sometimes teetering on the brink of failure. Here, for the first time, we are given a behind-the-scenes view of the principal players--the personalities who shaped the process--and of the contentious, at times vitriolic, proceedings. We learn how, as the deadline approached, extremist violence and factional intransigence almost drove the talks to collapse. And we witness the intensity of the final negotiating session, the interventions of Ahern and Blair, the late-night phone calls from President Clinton, a last-ditch attempt at disruption by Paisley, and ultimately an agreement that, despite subsequent inflammatory acts aimed at destroying it, has set Northern Ireland's future on track toward a more lasting peace.

Making Peace

Making Peace PDF Author: George J. Mitchell
Publisher: Knopf
ISBN: 0307824489
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 258

Get Book Here

Book Description
Fifteen minutes before five o'clock on Good Friday, 1998, Senator George Mitchell was informed that his long and difficult quest for an Irish peace accord had succeeded--the Protestants and Catholics of Northern Ireland, and the governments of the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom, would sign the agreement. Now Mitchell, who served as independent chairman of the peace talks for the length of the process, tells us the inside story of the grueling road to this momentous accord. For more than two years, Mitchell, who was Senate majority leader under Presidents Bush and Clinton, labored to bring together parties whose mutual hostility--after decades of violence and mistrust--seemed insurmountable: Sinn Fein, represented by Gerry Adams; the Catholic moderates, led by John Hume; the majority Protestant party, headed by David Trimble; Ian Paisley's hard-line unionists; and, not least, the governments of the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom, headed by Bertie Ahern and Tony Blair. The world watched as the tense and dramatic process unfolded, sometimes teetering on the brink of failure. Here, for the first time, we are given a behind-the-scenes view of the principal players--the personalities who shaped the process--and of the contentious, at times vitriolic, proceedings. We learn how, as the deadline approached, extremist violence and factional intransigence almost drove the talks to collapse. And we witness the intensity of the final negotiating session, the interventions of Ahern and Blair, the late-night phone calls from President Clinton, a last-ditch attempt at disruption by Paisley, and ultimately an agreement that, despite subsequent inflammatory acts aimed at destroying it, has set Northern Ireland's future on track toward a more lasting peace.

Hope and History

Hope and History PDF Author: Gerry Adams
Publisher: Hardie Grant Publishing
ISBN: 1740662245
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 417

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Book Description
Is the unique inside story, revealing the truth behind the headlines of how the peace process was begun, and brought to fruition. Adams conveys the tensions, the sense of teetering on the brink, and he has a sharp eye and acute ear for the more humorous foibles of political allies and enemies alike.

Great Hatred, Little Room

Great Hatred, Little Room PDF Author: Jonathan Powell
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 1409076156
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 561

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Book Description
Making peace in Northern Ireland was the greatest success of the Blair government, and one of the greatest achievements in British politics since the Second World War. In Jonathan Powell's masterly account we learn just how close the talks leading to the Good Friday agreement came to collapse and how the parties finally reached a deal. Pithy, outspoken and precise, Powell, Tony Blair's chief of staff and chief negotiator, gives us that rarest of things, a true insider's account of politics at the highest level. He demonstrates how the events in Northern Ireland have valuable lessons for those seeking to end conflict in other parts of the world and shows us how the process of making peace is sometimes messy and often blackly comic.

Making the Peace in Ireland

Making the Peace in Ireland PDF Author: Jeremy Smith
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317873831
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 297

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Book Description
For nearly thirty years Northern Ireland has been a by-word for terrorism, bloodshed, military coercion and intense communal conflict. However, Ireland is now experiencing a transition from a society in conflict to one at peace. Where did the violence come from and why could it not be pacified? Why has it taken thirty years to solve the Northern Irish conflict, and why did early attempts at settlement fail? Jeremy Smith explores these questions by placing the events in context with wider British and European patterns, giving the first in-depth study of the history of the peace process in Northern Ireland.

The Far Side of Revenge

The Far Side of Revenge PDF Author: Deaglán De Bréadún
Publisher: Collins Press
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 424

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Book Description
'Who's afraid of peace?' was the cry of Albert Reynolds on becoming Taoiseach in 1992. Or, as Yeats suggested, was Ireland too small and hatred too intense for peace? The conflict between Ireland and Britain brought tragedy and grief for centuries to untold numbers of families and communities. It poisoned Ireland's political and intellectual life and undermined civil and human rights. This book is an account of a determined effort, involving Tony Blair, Bertie Ahern, Bill Clinton, George Mitchell, Gerry Adams and many others, to finally resolve the 'Irish Question', to replace murder, terror and discrimination with the norms of a modern, civilised society. This definitive and contemporary behind-the-scenes account of the Irish peace process by an award-winning journalist is a gripping story of how the IRA and Ulster Unionists found common ground with other parties and the Irish and British governments. Like a diplomatic thriller, the book describes, for the first time, the inside story of how the IRA ceasefire was restored in 1997, and how the parties and governments afterwards edged towards agreement.This eventually culminated, after many heart-stopping moments and near breakdowns, in the Good Friday Agreement of 1998 and a power-sharing executive in Belfast. Republicans and Unionists were in government together for the first time in history and have since struggled to keep that agreement alive.

Talking to Terrorists

Talking to Terrorists PDF Author: John Bew
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 9780199326273
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
The peace agreement in Northern Ireland has been held up as a beacon for conflict resolution around the world. The lessons of Ulster have been applied by prime ministers, presidents, diplomats and intelligence agents to many areas of violent conflict, from Spain to Sri Lanka, from Afghanistan to Iraq and, frequently, the Israel-Palestine crisis. From Belfast to Basra, the notion that it is necessary to engage in dialogue with one's enemies has been fetishised across the political spectrum. Talking to terrorists is a necessary pre-requisite to peace, it is argued, and governments should avoid rigid pre-conditions in their attempt to bring in the extremes. But does this understanding really reflect what happened in Northern Ireland? Moreover, does it apply to other areas where democratic governments face threats from terrorist organisations, such as in the Basque region of northern Spain? In challenging this notion, the authors offer an analytical history of the transition from war to peace in Northern Ireland, and compare the violent conflict in the Basque country over the same period, demonstrating how events there have developed very differently than the advocates of 'the Northern Ireland model' might presume. The authors recognise that governments have often talked to terrorists and will continue to do so in the future. But they argue that what really matters is not the act of talking to terrorists itself but a range of other variables including the role of state actors, intelligence agencies, hard power and the wider democratic process. Above all, there is a crucial difference between talking to terrorists who believe that their strategy is succeeding and those who have been made to realise that their aims are unattainable by violence.

Mairead Corrigan and Betty Williams

Mairead Corrigan and Betty Williams PDF Author: Bettina Ling
Publisher: The Feminist Press at CUNY
ISBN: 9781558612013
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 114

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Book Description
A new multicultural biography series for young readers that focuses on major achievements by women from around the world.

The Legacy of History

The Legacy of History PDF Author: Martin Mansergh
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 500

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Book Description
A collection of thought-provoking historical pieces by a leading player in North-South relations And The peace process.

After the Peace

After the Peace PDF Author: Carolyn Gallaher
Publisher: Cornell University Press
ISBN: 9780801474262
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 268

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Book Description
The 1998 Belfast Agreement promised to release citizens of Northern Ireland from the grip of paramilitarism. However, almost a decade later, Loyalist paramilitaries were still on the battlefield. After the Peace examines the delayed business of Loyalist demilitarization and explains why it included more fits than starts in the decade since formal peace and how Loyalist paramilitary recalcitrance has affected everyday Loyalists. Drawing on interviews with current and former Loyalist paramilitary men, community workers, and government officials, Carolyn Gallaher charts the trenchant divisions that emerged during the run-up to peace and thwart demilitarization today. After the Peace demonstrates that some Loyalist paramilitary men want to rebuild their communities and join the political process. They pledge a break with violence and the criminality that sustained their struggle. Others vow not to surrender and refuse to set aside their guns. These units operate under a Loyalist banner but increasingly resemble criminal fiefdoms. In the wake of this internecine power struggle, demilitarization has all but stalled. Gallaher documents the battle for the heart of Loyalism in varied settings, from the attempt to define Ulster Scots as a language to deadly feuds between UVF, UDA, and LVF contingents. After the Peace brings the story of Loyalist paramilitaries up to date and sheds light on the residual violence that persists in the post-accord era.

The People’s Peace Process in Northern Ireland

The People’s Peace Process in Northern Ireland PDF Author: C. Irwin
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 140391432X
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 352

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Book Description
Many important lessons have come out of the negotiations for the Belfast Agreement. This book explains how public opinion polls were used in support of the Northern Ireland peace process. Significantly, it was the politicians who decided the questions so that they could map out areas of compromise and common ground that their supporters would accept. This book explains how the work was done so that others can apply the benefits of this experience to their own peace building activities.